Teacher's Day in India (05/09)

Every year on September 5, India honors — teachers of some of the most respected people in society. The date of the holiday — September 5 — coincides with the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), philosopher, teacher, public and statesman. From 1962 to 1967, Radhakrishnan was President of India.

There is such a version of the origin of the holiday. One day, his comrades asked the head of state for permission to celebrate his birthday with a big national holiday; in response, he proposed honoring all his colleagues — teachers on this day.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born into a wealthy family, graduated from a Christian college in Madras, and later defended his master's thesis on «Vedanta ethics and its philosophical background». Radhakrishnan taught at several Indian colleges and universities, translated religious and philosophical texts from Sanskrit, and published his own works on Indian philosophy.

When Indian independence was declared, Radhakrishnan became actively involved in social and government activities, was an ambassador to UNESCO, led higher education reforms in India and eventually became the country's president.

Radhakrishnan did a lot to ensure that his fellow citizens could receive a high-quality, comprehensive education. He simultaneously protested against the Eurocentric approach to science, defending India's right to its own history and philosophy, and opposed conservative, anti-Western forces that were hindering the country's development in a single direction with the entire civilized world.

It is not surprising that Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan enjoyed the respect of his people — as, by the way, a holiday established by him. And today, on Teacher's Day, Indian schoolchildren and students wear formal clothes and congratulate their teachers. The guys also organize concerts and performances for their teachers.

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