𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺- 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

On Student’s Day, we spoke to our member Ms. S. Dutta about her memories of such celebrations. She reflected on her memories of Teacher’s Day celebrations in college and emphasised the importance of living with high ideals and strive to practice them.
I think the practice of celebrating Teacher’s Day began around the time I was in college. Today the schools celebrate it in a big way, showing gratitude to their teachers in their own way. The day marks the birthday of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the statesman and former president. But I believe the first mark of respect on that day should be reserved for one’s parents, because our first lessons in life happen under their tutelage. I feel many children today do not respect their parents the way we revered ours. They should understand that without our parents we are nothing.
The tradition of Student’s Day, which marks the birthday of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is a newer tradition. I do not know how today’s schools and colleges celebrate Student’s Day, but I do believe it is important to be students and teachers worthy of celebrating. I remember some girls in my college would bring gifts for our teachers. These gifts were presented to the teachers as objects the students made themselves, but, in some cases, they were made by their parents or by professional artists. As a result, the givers of the best gifts became favourites of the teachers. I didn’t pay much heed to such practices back then, but today, as I reflect on those days, I feel that they were wrong. Days such as Teacher’s and Student’s Days are marked out to remember great men and highlight ideals that encourage honest practices.
My daughters attended a school run in compliance with the ideals of Sister Nivedita. They were always encouraged to be honest with their assignments. Before leaving for the day, the students would have to leave their assignments in lockers designated to each of them. Even the gifts they made on Teacher’s Day would have to be put away in their lockers until they completed them. Whatever they worked on and created was all theirs, so they learnt well. They were taught about duty and self-sufficiency. Every day they would walk into class and pull out their desks and chairs, and at the end of the day they would put back the desks and chairs in their designated places.
I believe such ideals need to be practiced and inculcated today. Only then will we have teachers and students worthy of remembering and celebrating.