September 5 is celebrated as Teachers' Day across the country in the memory of India's second President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a philosopher-author. His contributions to the field of education are exemplary. The tradition to celebrate Teachers' Day began in 1962 to honour Radhakrishnan and all other educators.
Meanwhile, many seem to be confused about the usage of apostrophe in 'Teachers' Day'. Is it Teacher's Day, Teachers' Day or Teachers Day? This is a classic English Grammar lesson.
To put it in simple words, when you write Mother's Day or Father's Day, it is assumed to be as a form of addressing a singular person 'mother' or 'father'. However, it can be challenged in modern times, given how some might address more than one person under the same category - be it stepmoms, gay parents, etc.
With that being said, you grow up having more than one teacher, hence a plural form is used in general. So, next time make sure you wish "Happy Teachers' Day" and not "Happy Teacher's Day".
For the second consecutive year, Teachers' Day will be celebrated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools continue to remain shut in many parts of the country, it is likely to be a virtual celebration for most teachers and students. In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had on Friday said that the state government wanted to ensure that school staff is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before reopening of schools.
Ahead of Teachers' Day celebrations, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that teachers should ensure that their students imbibe noble spiritual ideals of ancient Indian wisdom and take pride in the country's culture. "Let us all pledge to fight any divisive force that seeks to divide society on lines of religion, region, language, caste, creed or colour. Let us commit ourselves to further strengthening unity and harmony in our hugely diverse society," he added while addressing the students and teachers of Sri Aurobindo International School in Hyderabad.
