Growing up through school and college, and then to university, a whole day dedicated to teachers seemed very special. It intrigued something within which other celebrations rarely did. Why do teachers get a day to their name and not firemen or police then? Probably because teaching is one of the most difficult, cumbersome professions there is. In a postmodern society, that is, the 21st century, education has become a normative way for every privileged child, yet it is so very arbitrary in nature. Teaching a child ‘a’ this letter means ‘A’ is as difficult as teaching them why the fire is hot. This brings up many arrangements and histories in the context of education.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar comes up as a household name when talking about education in Bengal, if not India. A philosopher, a reformist, and a visionary, Vidyasagar was clever enough to advocate for women education. It seems only logical that if men of 19th-century colonial India were getting an education, why won’t the other half do so as well? In today’s context of hyperreality and Zoom call conferences, teachers are not given enough credit for what started as a movement for enlightenment. The role of a teacher is important because today you can search the web for a picture of the Mona Lisa or a Van Gogh painting, but without a teacher, all these ephemeral works of art would only be colours on a canvas.

Sukla Kisku, assistant professor of English at Bhairab Ganguly College, says that Teachers’ Day reminds her more about her days as a student in school. Having faced discrimination as a kid, she always wanted to be someone who would be easily accessible to students. Being a teacher herself, now she feels happy that she can provide the help to her students, the help she might not have received. So teaching is not just learning new things every day; it is at the same time unlearning the normative structures disciplined into people, whether right or wrong. Teaching becomes a two-way street then, exchanging knowledge in and out.

Sanmitra Ghosh, a postgraduate student of English, says, “Teachers are the pillars of our society, shaping young minds and fostering growth. On Teachers’ Day, we honour the mentors who inspire, motivate and empower us. It’s the teacher that makes the difference, not the classroom. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning.” Inspire hope; this is an interesting idea that hope can be transmitted like electricity into fresher minds. Teaching history, literature, or even science can bring hope into people who have only seen pessimism in the world till now. This is as difficult, if not more, as a doctor performing brain surgery. This is why teachers are the ‘pillars’ as this student says. Education under a good teacher gives you introspection about what you did not know existed.

Pritesh Chakraborty, assistant professor of English in Maharaja Srischandra College, says, “When I think about Teachers’ Day, I imagine a day of forming a special bond with teachers and cherishing those bonds of love and respect (sometimes mutual). I imagine a day without routine, syllabus and notes (sometimes rebukes too!) I imagine an informal gathering with faces smeared with glee!” When asked Chakraborty of his opinion, he very happily sent his regards. He has himself been a platform for students who are not just satisfied with a degree. He has a brilliant teaching method of introducing comics into serious texts, so students can very easily understand and connect the mental images with the visual pictures. Going beyond the orthodox traditional structures, Chakraborty presents just what exactly a teacher can bring to a classroom.

Anwesha Ghoshal, a postgraduate of Bhairab Ganguly College, says, “Teachers’ Day, according to me, marks the day when we allow ourselves to acknowledge the encouragement that drives us to model our identity from clay; to thank every push one receives, be it a positive or a negative one. However, we often tend to acknowledge the efforts of others with a tendency to take the backseat ourselves, forgetting to pat our own back. Hence, on every Teachers’ Day, when we recognise the efforts of others, let’s spare a moment to appreciate ourselves as well.” Anwesha, in her comment, talks a lot about identity. Teachers do give us identities—not as much, but help us understand identities are what is very important in one’s life. Be it gender, economy, colour, anything that encompasses an individual is essentially taught. We are generally not born with the societal identities tagged onto our backs.

Sampuja Banerjee, a visiting faculty member of English, says, “Teachers’ Day, generally celebrated as Dr Radhakrishnan’s birth anniversary, holds different perspectives for different individuals. For me, it is the day that celebrates the process of becoming a teacher, which is absolutely possible for the other major part that completes the cycle, the students. As the teacher brings out the best from a student, on the other hand, a student creates a teacher out of an ordinary individual. So this is the day that is the hallmark of the teacher-student solidarity, integrity, trust, and unimpaired faith.” She has been a safe haven for a lot of people who would otherwise be voiceless. Being in her classroom has certainly been a journey that does not end with the last bell.

Professor Manidip Chakraborty, the head of the department of English at Bhairab Ganguly College, says, “The student part of me still compels me to believe in the undisputed contribution of all my teachers in weaving each fabric that constitutes my consciousness.” Being a young professor of literature, Professor Chakraborty has been active in not just the classroom but also in patronage of dramas, music, and creative spaces, which does not restrict a student into the text books.

Dr Radhakrishnan is honoured with this special day where there is acknowledgement of teachers all throughout India. Like Dr Radhakrishnan, most good teachers are essentially philosophers. AI and writing tools can only do so much. It cannot instil new images into the brain. They are after all tools. In this age of data and everything being a transaction, impacting knowledge is still not transactional. It depends on free will. What we would collect along the way and what we shed because we know better. Every day is a new ‘teacher’s day’ if we understand how powerful human words and communication can be.

On the occasional introspection on this particular day, teachers can be non-humans, non-living even. The mere ecosystem is a teacher that is mostly silent throughout the lives of Samaritans, except maybe some natural disasters. The world has not yet forgotten about the pandemic and the lockdowns. Crises teach humans more than another human can. Humans are most of the time reactionary to their surroundings, finding stimulus even in the leaky faucets of a public fountain. The world mostly teaches compassion, if not outright violence. Empathy is a teacher as much as the next human. The basic quintessential qualities of human behaviour among themselves cannot be taught as much as learnt by the individual. A sailor has to know the sea to sail and not drown, just as a teacher needs to understand knowledge and impart it with care.