India, Sept. 8 -- Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan dedicated his life to teaching, serving in various roles, including president, educationalist, academic, and leader. He requested that his birthday not be observed as a personal celebration, but instead be dedicated to honouring the country's teachers. The tradition began in 1962, when the Government of India declared Dr Radhakrishnan's birth anniversary as Teachers' Day.

Each year, as India celebrates Teachers' Day with fanfare, glorifying this noble profession with expressions of gratitude, I simply wonder why this admiration wanes for the rest of the year. Poet Kabir narrated the importance of teachers in his couplet: "Guru and God both are here to whom should I first bow? All glory be unt...