Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

 

I S C CENTRE GIDHAUR

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan OM (pronunciationi; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975; natively Radhakrishnayya) was an Indian politician, philosopher, and statesman who served as the second president of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the first vice president of India from 1952 to 1962. He was the second ambassador of India to the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1952. He was also the fourth vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University from 1939 to 1948 and the second vice-chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. Radhakrishnan is considered one of the most influential and distinguished 20th century scholars of comparative religion and philosophy

 he held the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta from 1921 to 1932 and Spalding Chair of Eastern Religion and Ethics at University of Oxford from 1936 to 1952.[3]

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Official Portrait, 1962
2nd President of India
In office 13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi
Vice President	Zakir Husain
Preceded by	Rajendra Prasad
Succeeded by	Zakir Husain
1st Vice President of India
In office 13 May 1952 – 12 May 1962
President	Rajendra Prasad
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Zakir Husain
2nd Ambassador of India to Soviet Union
In office 12 July 1949 – 12 May 1952
Preceded by	Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Succeeded by	K. P. S. Menon
4th Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University
In office 1939–1948
Preceded by	Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
Succeeded by	Amarnath Jha
Personal details
Born	5 September 1888 Thiruttani, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)[1]
Died	17 April 1975 (aged 86) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India (present-day Chennai)
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Sivakamu Radhakrishnan ​ ​ (m. 1903; died 1956)​
Children	6, including Gopal
Occupation	Politician professor vice-chancellor
Profession	Philosopher academic
Awards	Bharat Ratna (1954) Templeton Prize (1975)
Known for	the Indian Philosophy: 2 volume set
Academic background
Alma mater	Voorhees College, Vellore Madras Christian College (BA, MA)
Academic work
Discipline	Philosophy Indology
Institutions	Madras Presidency College Maharaja's College, Mysore University of Calcutta Manchester College, Oxford Andhra University Banaras Hindu University
Main interests	Indian philosophy Indian religions

Radhakrishnan's philosophy was grounded in Advaita Vedanta, reinterpreting this tradition for a contemporary understanding

 He defended Hinduism against what he called "uninformed Western criticism contributing to the formation of contemporary Hindu identity He has been influential in shaping the understanding of Hinduism, in both India and the west, and earned a reputation as a bridge-builder between India and the West

Radhakrishnan was awarded several high awards during his life, including a knighthood in 1931, the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1954, and honorary membership of the British Royal Order of Merit in 1963. He was also one of the founders of Helpage India, a non profit organisation for elderly underprivileged in India. Radhakrishnan believed that "teachers should be the best minds in the country". Since 1962, his birthday has been celebrated in India as Teachers' Day on 5 September every year