The celebration of Teachers Day is to respect and acknowledge the efforts of our teachers who devote themselves to making our lives fruitful. The 5th of September is celebrated as the Teachers Day in India. The day was the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the philosopher who introduced western idealist philosophies in India. He gave India a lot as a professor and was also the first Vice President and the second President of India.
On this Teachers Day let’s highlight the interesting facts and learn more about Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
1. The Flower Deck Carriage: When he was leaving from Mysore University and heading to Calcutta University, his students pulled him in a flower deck carriage from Mysore University to the railway station.
2. As a Vice President: We know that he was the first Vice President of India (1952-1962). It would be interesting to know that Dr. Radhakrishnan would intervene the slokas from the Sanskrit classics to calm the heated debates in the Rajya Sabha.
3. The Chancellor: The Vice President and the Second President of India had once the position of the Chancellor. He was the chancellor at the Delhi University, Andhra University and Benaras Hindu University.
4. The Templeton Prize in 1975: He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 1975, He donated the amount of the prize to the Oxford University.
5. The 5th of September: When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the president of India, some of his students wanted to celebrate his birthday. He stopped them and said it would be his proud privilege if instead of celebrating his birthday, the 5th of September is considered the Teacher’s Day.
6. Awards: He won many awards during his academic year. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1931, was elected Fellow of the British Academy in the year 1938 and was awarded the prestigious Bharat Ratna in the year 1954. He also received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in the year 1961.
7. Ambassador to UNESCO: The list of achievements by Dr. Sarvalpalli Radhakrishnan is not less. He was also appointed as ambassador to United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1946 and later on as ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1949. As Chair of the Union Education Commission in 1948, he persevered and brought about reforms in India’s education system.
8. Background: He belonged to a Telugu Speaking Niyogi Brahmin family.
9. A Story: It is interesting to know that Dr. Radhakrishnan’s father wanted him to be the priest and didn’t send him to school to learn English.
10. The London Speech: While in London, Dr. Radhkrsihnan’s speech content and personality had mesmerized H. N. Spalding so much that he decided to found a chair at Oxford for Easter Religions and Ethics.
