New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) During his school days in Punjab in then undivided India, the man who would one day be prime minister fetched water from the well for his teacher, whose family gave him great affection, Manmohan Singh recalled fondly Monday on the eve of Teacher's Day.

"I recall with gratitude my own days in a village primary school and what I learnt in those four years in primary school has played a very important role in shaping my outlook to problems in life," Manmohan Singh said while addressing the National Teachers' awardees.

"Those were the days when teachers had taught not only to work together in the classroom, but also at their home."

"I was the beneficiary of the affection of the family of my teacher where I went day after day in the evening sometimes to fetch water for the teacher's family from the village well and that sense of communication I never forget, it has been a very formative influence in my life and I remain grateful to my teachers forever for that," the prime minister said warmly.

Expressing his concern over the death of an Ujjain professor who was beaten up by students last week, the prime minister in his speech urged the Indian parents to teach their children to value the saying "Acharyan Devo Bhava" (teacher is god).

Manmohan Singh, himself a teacher - he used to teach at Delhi School of Economics - reminded the gathering that a "teacher of exemplary character, thought, and action communicates the ideals through his or her own example".

He urged the entire teaching community to "strive for higher moral standards, a liberal and modern outlook and a commitment to professionalism and fair play".