India observes National Teachers’ Day on September 5 every year to honor Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s contributions to education and his achievements.
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, born in Tiruttani, North Arcot district, was a distinguished scholar who completed his education through scholarships. He earned a master’s degree in Philosophy and authored the influential book ‘The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore’ in 1917.
Radhakrishnan served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University (1931-1936) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) (1939), succeeding Madan Mohan Malviya. He also taught at Presidency College in Chennai and Calcutta University. In 1954, he was honored with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, and was later admitted as an honorary member of the British Royal Order of Merit in 1963.
In 1962, while serving as the second President of India, Dr. Radhakrishnan’s students proposed celebrating his birthday, September 5, as a special day. Radhakrishnan suggested instead that the day be designated as Teachers’ Day to honor educators’ contributions to society.
On Teachers’ Day, schools across India host cultural events where students express gratitude through songs, dances, plays, and poems. Senior students often dress as teachers and manage classes for the day. The President of India annually presents the ‘National Awards to Teachers’ on this date. Last year, President Droupadi Murmu awarded teachers from various states, including Yudhveer and Virender Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, Harpreet Singh and Arun Kumar Garg from Punjab, and Shashikant Sambhajirao Kulthe and Kavita Sanghvi from Maharashtra.
The Ministry of Education organizes a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan on September 5 each year to present these awards, selected through a rigorous three-stage online process.
