New Delhi: For many of you, years spent in a school are the best period of your lives, and certainly it is about that one favourite teacher who warmed
the hearts with their special care and attention. Any student can’t forget that one teacher who improved their lives and whose impact stayed in the mind beyond the classroom walls. Whether they spoke encouraging words to make you stronger, or push you to a stage to display your talents, or believed in you when no one else did, they left a mark on your memory.
Indian history too is full of many such personalities who started as teacher before bringing a revolutionary change in the system through their work and shaped the great Indians. As a gratitude towards these teachers, particularly the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, September 5 is celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India. The tradition began in 1962 when his students requested to celebrate his birthday. Here, we will dive into the lives of a few famous personalities who started as teachers.
Famous Indian personalities who started as teachers
Teaching is a noble profession, and it is interesting to know that many famous personalities started as educators. Here is the list.
1. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a renowned teacher before serving as India’s second President and the first Vice President. Born on September 5 in 1988, he is remembered as the best teacher of all time and as the finest writer of many life-changing books, as well as a contributor to international journals. He even urged his colleagues to transform the world with their teachings.
2. Savitribai Phule
Savitribai Phule, along with her husband, were a groundbreaker in advocating the right to education for girls. They brought revolution by opening the first school for girls in India in 1848. Savitribai is credited with being the first female teacher in India. The school made headlines when, on the very first day, nine girls from different social backgrounds enrolled, setting an example for the phenomenal work the couple did later. Not satisfied with these laurels, the duo started more schools in and around Pune between 1848 and 1852. Their first preference was children from Dalit communities at these schools. Eventually, night schools were also established. They also educated marginalised communities and worked for the welfare of pregnant widows.
3. APJ Abdul Kalam
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam left a remarkable imprint on the Indian education landscape, owing to which October 15, his birthday, is commemorated as World Students’ Day. Despite playing the role of a scientist, a leader, a teacher, and an engineer, his love for teaching remained at the top. This is the reason he returned to teaching after ending his term as the 11th President of India. He loved replying to students’ questions with wit and honesty. People still remember his encouraging words – If you fail, never give up because F A I L means First Attempt In Learning. End is not the end; in fact, E N D means Effort Never Dies.
4. Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda will always be remembered as a man of outstanding intellect as well as an influential Indian reformer. In 1863, he became the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, which is renowned for spreading the knowledge of Vedanta. A supporter of the Gurukula system, Vivekananda helped his students overcome the challenges and gain confidence with his teachings. He consistently urged everyone to become good Indian citizens. He believed that education is the manifestation of perfection, which is already present in human beings.
5. Rabindranath Tagore
Everyone knows Rabindra Nath Tagore for his world-famous literary work Gitanjali, a collection of beautiful verses and prayers. For this, he was bestowed with a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Apart from being a renowned writer, Tagore was a freedom fighter who fought against the British. But he was also deeply involved as a teacher at educational institutions such as Shantiniketan, Brahmacharyaasrama and Visva-Bharati University. He was a progressive educator who focused on creativity, harmony with nature, a connection to culture, narration and discussion sessions coupled with debates. He took learning processes a notch up by transforming abstract knowledge into practical ones.
6. Premchand
Munshi Premchand is a prominent Hindi writer who has written over 300 short stories, 10 novels, and a certain number of plays. Born as Dhanpat Rai Shrivastav, his works influenced Bollywood’s famous directors, such as Satyajit Ray, to turn his stories into movies. A respected teacher in Uttar Pradesh’s Chunnar, Premchand, wrote heart-wrenching stories of downtrodden people. He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
7. Vinoba Bhave
Vinayak Narahai Vinoba Bhave, an advocate of human rights and non-violence in the 1900s, is considered the National Teacher of India. He set up the Brahma Vidya Mandir, an ashram helping women to become self-sufficient and non-violent. He was honoured with the title Acharya or teacher and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1958 for his contribution to humanitarian work.
8. Anand Kumar
Anand Kumar came to the limelight after the Bollywood movie Super 30 showed his inspiring life on the big screen. However, this passionate teacher had always been a known name in the education field, who never taught for money but to support underprivileged but deserving students. He honed his students’ skills in his unique ways and left a high-paid coaching institute job to start his own coaching centre with bare minimum money. Today, his institution teaches 30 selected poor kids and prepares them for the IIT-JEE entrance examinations. His Super-30 program started in 2000, and by the year 2015, 391 of 450 students had successfully qualified for the premier institute. On average, 90 per cent of his students are enrolled in IITs.
These personalities have lived exemplary lives and worked hard to educate themselves and those around them. Multiple schools and universities in India respect them for their simplicity and for leaving an indelible mark on those seeking knowledge.
