Teachers' Day 2021: Famous Teachers From History

Take a look at some of the famous teachers who left their marks on the minds of people.

By Sharon Thomas

Saturday, September 4, 2021, 17:11

Education is the greatest asset any man can have, and to educate, is to pass on the torch of knowledge that ultimately leads to wisdom and glory. Teachers play an important in any man's life either knowingly or unknowingly.

Many teachers have dedicated their lives completely to teaching the younger generation without expecting anything in return so that the students can be better citizens and great human beings. Memories of teachers like this never fade and their contribution to society always withstands the test of time. 5 September is celebrated as Teachers' Day and let us take a look at some of the famous teachers who left their marks on the minds of people.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Teacher's Day in India is celebrated in his name. With this itself one can guess what a legendary teacher he must have been. Radhakrishnan who was the first vice president and second president of India was born in Thiruttani, Tamil Nadu in 1888. He completed his Masters in Philosophy at the age of 21.

He gave importance to spiritual education and gained very high acknowledgement for sharing the most difficult concepts of philosophy. He has enlightened students at Madras Presidency College, University of Mysore and even served as a vice chancellor for Andhra University.

He represented the University of Calcutta at International Congresses in the UK and the US and has presented a lecture at Oxford on Comparative Religion. He was a friendly soul even with his students and would take classes for them at home as well. Such a great educator, his thirst for knowledge never ended until he passed away in the year 1975.

Savitribai Phule

Savitribai Phule is known as the first female teacher of India. She created a revolution in India, when she, along with her husband, opened a school for untouchable girls in Pune, in the year 1848. So many people were against it. Despite all the problems, she opened five more similar schools by the end of that year.

Her journey as a teacher was not an easy one as she was often condemned by the upper caste. Her contribution to education was recognised by the British government. She is also known as the founder of modern Marathi poetry.

Anne Sullivan

This American teacher is known to be the mentor of Helen Keller. Helen was both deaf and blind. Sullivan was 20 when started teaching Helen, who was 6 years old. They worked together for the next 49 years until Sullivan's death. She created history by using a special type of sign language to teach Helen which included writing on her palm.

Helen went on to become the first deaf and blind person to get a masters degree in arts. Sullivan left a mark in education by making the world understand the importance of educating disabled children.

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Madan Mohan Malaviya was born in 1861 in Varanasi. He was an educationist and an independence activist. He founded the largest residential university of Asia, the Banaras Hindu University. He was the vice chancellor for the same for almost two decades.

The university catered to around 35,000 students in various fields, such as science, medicine, engineering, technology, law, agriculture, arts and performing arts. He was the one who popularised the slogan of India "Satyameva Jayate".

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Even though Kalam was better known as a scientist, he was more passionate about spreading the light of knowledge. He could easily connect with the younger generation. He was elected as the 11th president of India and was also known as the Missile Man for his contribution to nuclear and space engineering sectors of India.

He was a kind of teacher who let the students think for themselves and encouraged their inquisitive nature to a large extent. He kept teaching until his last breath. He addressed, for the last time, the students of IIM Shillong where he was a visiting professor.