Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan listen (5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975) was an Indian philosopher and statesman who served as the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India (1962-1967).
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888 at Tirutani, Madras in a poor Brahmin family. As his father was poor Radhakrishnan supported most of his education through scholarships. His father worked as a subordinate revenue official in the service of a local zamindar (landlord) and the family was a modest one. He did not want his son to receive an English education and wanted him to become a priest. But life had other plans for the young boy. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had his early education at Gowdie School, Tiruvallur and then went to the Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati for his high school. He joined the Voorhee's College in Vellore and later switched to the Madras Christian College. He chose Philosophy as his major subject and did his B.A. and M.A. in it.
After completing his M.A., Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, accepted an Assistant Lectureship at the Madras Presidency College in 1909. In college, he mastered the classics of Hindu philosophy, namely the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita, Brahmasutra, and commentaries of Sankara, Ramunuja and Madhava. He also acquainted himself with Buddhist and Jain philosophy and philosophies of Western thinkers such as Plato, Plotinus, Kant, Bradley, and Bergson.
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- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan embarked on an academic career and joined the Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College in 1909. He moved to the University of Mysore in 1918 where he taught at its Maharaja's College.
He was offered the professorship at the University of Calcutta in 1921 where he assumed the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science. He represented the university at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the International Congress of Philosophyat Harvard University in September 1926.
A prominent academician by now, he was invited to deliver the Hibbert Lecture on the ideals of life which he delivered at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, in 1929.
He served as the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936 before being named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford and elected a Fellow of All Souls College.
- Radhakrishnan’s entry into politics happened quite late in life. He represented India at UNESCO from 1946 to 1952. He was also the Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1952.
- Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice-President of India in 1952, during the tenure of President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He succeeded Rajendra Prasad to become the second President of India in 1962 and retired from politics five years later.
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| Parliament of India |
In 1918, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore. In 1921, Radhakrishnan was nominated as Professor of Philosophy at the Calcutta University, 1921. In 1923, Dr. Radhakrishnan's book "Indian Philosophy" was published. The book was hailed as a "philosophical classic and a literary masterpiece."
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was called to Oxford University, to deliver lectures on Hindu philosophy. He used his lectures as a platform to further India's cause for freedom. He also argued that Western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by theological influences from their wider culture. He showed that Indian philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of being called philosophy by Western standards. He thus placed Indian Philosophy on world map.
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| Oxford University where Radhakrishnan was called to deliver lectures on Hindu philosophy |
In 1931, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected Vice Chancellor of the Andhra University. In 1939, Radhakrishnan became the Vice Chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University. In 1946, he was appointed as Ambassador to UNESCO. After Independence Dr. Radhakrishnan was requested to Chair the University Education Commission in 1948. The Radhakrishnan Committee's suggestions helped mould the education system for India's needs.
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| Dr. Radhakrishnan as the Ambassador of UNESCO |
In 1949, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed ambassador to the Soviet Union. He helped laid the foundation for a strong relationship with Soviet Union. Radhakrishnan was elected first Vice-President of India in 1952. He was honored with the Bharat Ratna in 1954. After serving two terms as Vice-President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected President of India in 1962. During his tenure as President India fought wars with China and Pakistan. As President he helped see India through those trying years safely. He retired as President in 1967 and settled in Madras.
President of India Stamp with Dr. Radhakrishnan's Photograph
His contribution towards the field of education earned Dr. Radhakrishnan several awards, including the Bharat Ratna. He even received the Knighthood from the British emperor King George V in 1931 for his excellence in teaching. Three decades later, Dr. Radhakrishnan was even honored with an 'Order of Merit' by the royal folks of Britain.
In 1975, towards the end of his life, Radhakrishnan was felicitated with a 'Templeton Prize' by the well-known 'Templeton Foundation'. However, the generous scholar donated the entire amount earned through the Templeton Prize to the 'Oxford University'.
Dr. Radhakrishnan had penned various books on philosophy and even taught the subject at the Madras University. He is known as one of the best philosophers India has produced till date and was well-known even overseas. Famous British Philosopher and historian Bertrand Rusell had once said that Radhakrishnan being appointed as the President of India would be the 'Greatest honor to philosophy'.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was given the responsibility of being India's ambassador to Soviet Union, which was a challenging task. Not many know that he was also appointed the chairman of UNESCO's executive board.
Certain Quotes by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
Awards and Honors
1931: appointed a Knight Bachelor in , although he ceased to use the title "Sir" after India attained independence.
1933-37: Nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1938: elected Fellow of the British Academy.
1954: The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India.
1954: Order Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences (Germany)
1961: the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
1962: Institution of Teacher's Day in India, yearly celebrated at 5 September, Radhakrishnan's birthday, in honour of Radhakrishnan's belief that "teachers should be the best minds in the country".
1963: the British Order of Merit.
1968: Sahitya Akademi fellowship, The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer (he is the first person to get this award)
1975: the Templeton Prize in 1975, a few months before his death, for advocating non-aggression and conveying "a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people." He donated the entire amount of the Templeton Prize to Oxford University.
1989: institution of the Radhakrishnan Scholarships by Oxford University in the memory of Radhakrishnan. The scholarships were later renamed the "Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships".
He was nominated sixteen times for the Nobel prize in literature, and eleven times for the Nobel Peace prize.
Works by Radhakrishnan
The philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (1918), Macmillan, London, 294 pages
Indian Philosophy (1923) Vol.1, 738 pages. (1927) Vol 2, 807 pages. Oxford University Press.
The Hindu View of Life (1926), 92 pages
An Idealist View of Life (1929), 351 pages
Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), Oxford University Press, 396 pages
Religion and Society (1947), George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 242 pages
The Bhagavadgītā: with an introductory essay, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes (1948), 388 pages
The Dhammapada (1950), 194 pages, Oxford University Press
The Principal Upanishads (1953), 958 pages, HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Recovery of Faith (1956), 205 pages
A Source Book in Indian Philosophy (1957), 683 pages, Princeton University Press, with Charles A. Moore as co-editor.
Religion, Science & Culture (1968), 121 pages
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