By Lone Muzafer
As the country celebrates Teachers’ Day, society unites to honour a select few with awards—a joyous and deserved recognition of their exceptional dedication. These awards, often accompanied by applause and speeches, shine a spotlight on those teachers whose passion, innovation, and commitment have become exemplary. Yet, this annual moment of recognition also opens a larger window: an opportunity to reflect on the true, timeless essence of teaching, which extends far beyond any single day’s accolades.
The awardees who step onto the stage today are undoubtedly worthy of every cheer. Their trophies and certificates symbolise not just personal achievement, but the countless lives they have shaped and the countless minds they have ignited. They remind us of the power of a teacher’s influence—an influence that ripples far beyond the walls of the classroom. Their accomplishments inspire not only their students but also their colleagues, standing as beacons of excellence and optimism within the wider education community.
But teaching is not a profession sustained by moments in the spotlight. Its truest victories are often unseen, unrecorded, and unscripted. They happen quietly, in the rhythm of daily effort, in patience that goes unnoticed, in encouragement offered at the right time, and in the unwavering belief a teacher places in a child who may not yet believe in themselves.
In Kashmir and across India, there are thousands of teachers whose dedication will never make it to a stage or newspaper headline. Yet their contribution is no less profound. A teacher hiking to a school in the Pir Panjal ranges, reaching a classroom where children dream under the vast mountain skies, carries with them a trophy far greater than any adorned with brass or silver. A teacher in a tribal hamlet, preserving culture while unlocking futures, wages a quiet revolution—one that may not be applauded publicly but is deeply felt by an entire community.
There is no certificate for the teacher in a remote village school who continues to teach with devotion, where the only applause is the rustling of leaves outside. Yet, for the children who walk barefoot to sit in that classroom, that teacher is nothing less than the pillar of hope. There are no awards for the teacher who patiently sits with a specially-abled child until a concept finally makes sense, but the triumphant smile of that child is a prize beyond measure.
Sometimes, the recognition comes in unexpected ways—like when a teacher, now unwell in a hospital bed, finds comfort in the words of a young doctor who says softly, “You were my favourite teacher in fifth grade.” Or when a former student, now a confident professional, returns to share that it was their teacher’s faith that gave them the courage to rise. These are standing ovations that no auditorium could ever match.
The truth is that every teacher carries within them an unseen shelf of trophies, built not of wood and metal but of memories, triumphs, and lives transformed. The philosopher’s old wisdom that “the highest reward for a person’s work is not what they get for it, but what they become by it” rings truest in the case of teachers. For them, the greatest accolade is not engraved on a plaque but inscribed on the human soul. It is written into the very landscape of the communities they serve and into the futures they make possible.
“Teaching is not sustained by moments in the spotlight. Its truest victories are unseen—found in daily effort, in patience that goes unnoticed, and in the quiet encouragement that helps a child believe in themselves.”
That is why Teachers’ Day, in its deepest spirit, does not belong only to those whose names are announced in ceremonies. It belongs equally—perhaps even more—to those who labour in silence, who nurture curiosity where resources are scarce, who light lamps of knowledge in places overlooked by the world. Their honour does not fade with time, because it is eternal. The world’s most prestigious awards may be temporary, but the dignity of being a teacher is perpetual.
The teachers of today are the guardians of curiosity, the champions of dreams, the beacons of light in remote darkness, and the silent partners in every success story their students will ever write. For that, every teacher, whether applauded on stage or working quietly in the background, is and always will be award-winning.
On this Teachers’ Day, let us celebrate not only the trophies we see but also the ones we don’t—the unseen trophies that are carried in the hearts of generations.
The writer is a columnist based in Kulgam and can be reached at: lonesabam@gmail.com
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