5th September always brings sweet memories of school days. On this day, 9th & 10th standard students used to be teachers to other students & teachers’ used to get a chance to relax & enjoy the festivities. It was so much fun being taught by the senior students & we could not await the day to be Teachers ourselves!

For those who came in late, 5th September is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in India, birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was a renowned scholar & teacher. He went on to become Vice President of India.

Once I read a column on Teacher’s day. The columnist was of the view that, since teachers are not of the same quality as they were at the time of Mr. S. Radhakrishnan, we should stop celebrating Teacher’s Day. I was taken aback by the cynical view point of the author.

Indians have always respected & idolised their teachers. The teachers are not just paid employees in the eyes of the students. They are the gardeners who groom the students. They are our guiding light, who contribute to our overall development & not stick to textbook schooling.

Who can forget the teacher who paid attention to a student who was weak in maths & gave special tuition with no extra cost? Or the teacher who identified our talent for debate / drama & encouraged us to take part in extracurricular activities? Or a teacher who inspired us to take on reading & opened a whole new world to us?

Of course not all teachers fall in this category. But do we stop honouring our teachers only because some teachers are rotten apples?

If such is the case, then we need not respect anyone in this world. Not our so called leaders, doctors or even our parents!

What is required is restore the faith of all in the teaching community. Respect them. Give them better pays & better facilities. Remove the Rotten Apples from the basket but also honour the Good Ones!!!

Happy Teacher’s Day!!!