Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Biography
LIFE HISTORY OF RADHAKRISHNAN
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| Biography of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the great philosopher and statesman was the second President and the first Vice-President of India. He was a very prominent scholar and academician. His birthday is observed as Teacher’s Day all over India.
In this section, we will read the biography of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Biography of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Birthday: September 5, 1888
Died At Age: 86
Also Known As S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Radhakrishnan, Radhakrishnan
Born Country: India
Born In: Thiruttani, Tamil Nadu, India
Famous As: Confident, Ambitious
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Sivakamu
Father: Sarvepalli Veeraswami
Mother: Sitamma
Children: Five daughters and One son
Died On: April 17, 1975
Place Of Death: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, into a middle class Brahmin family in a small town of Tamil Nadu. Not much is known about his early education but between 1900 and 1904, he attended the Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees College in Vellore, a school run by the Reformed Church in America. It was here that he was introduced to western thought. In 1921, he was appointed to the most important philosophy chair in India, the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. In 1929, Radhakrishnan was invited to take the job of teacher at Manchester College, Oxford. This gave him the opportunity to lecture the students on comparative Religion. He was Knighted in 1931 and thereafter, worked as Vice-Chancellors the Andhra University.
His philosophy was simple but effective. He argued that western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by theological influences of their culture. In one of his major works, he also showed that Indian philosophy, once translated into standard academic language, is worthy of being called 'philosophy' by western standards.
In late 1939, Radhakrishnan took up his second Vice Chancellorship at Benares Hindu University (BHU). He resigned from there in 1948. A brilliant scholar, he was named the Chairman of the University Education Commission. His hand can be felt especially in the chapters on the aims of university education and religious education. During these years, the question of nationalism occupied his attention. For Radhakrishnan, a university education that quickened the development of the whole individual was the only responsible and practical means to the creation of Indian solidarity and clarity of national vision. He envisioned an India built and guided by those who were truly educated, by those who had a personal vision of and commitment to raising Indian self-consciousness.
The years following Indian independence marked Radhakrishnan's increasing involvement in Indian politics as well as in international affairs. The closing years of the 1940s were busy ones. Radhakrishnan had be actively involved in the newly incorporated UNESCO. He also served for two years, immediately following India's independence, as a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly. However, the favourable opportunity for Radhakrishnan to put into practice his own philosophical political ideas came with his election to the Rajya Sabha. He served as India's Vice President (1952-1962) and later as President (1962-1967).
Radhakrishnan, a great visionary, saw during his terms in office an increasing need for world unity and universal fellowship. The urgency of this need was pressed home to Radhakrishnan by what he saw as the unfolding crisis throughout the world. The Korean War was already in full swing. Political tensions with China in the early 1960s followed by the hostilities between India and Pakistan dominated Radhakrishnan's Presidency. Moreover, the Cold War divided the East and the West leaving each side suspicious of the other.
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| President of United States John F. Kennedy and President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (left) - Wikipedia |
Radhakrishnan belonged to that genre of the intelligentsia which believed in international peace and cooperation. So he challenged what he saw as the potential and dominating character of self-professed international organizations such as the League of Nations. Instead, he called for the promotion of creative internationalism based on the spiritual foundations of integral experience. Only then could understanding and tolerance between people and between nations could be promoted.
Radhakrishnan is also the impetus behind celebrating Teachers' Day. When he was the President of India in 1962, his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, September 5. He replied, "Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers' Day". Finally, this illustrious representative of Hinduism to the West retired from public life in 1967. His birthday has since been celebrated as Teacher's Day in India. He spent the last eight years of his life at the home he had built in Chennai. Radhakrishnan breathed his last on April 17, 1975.
Teachers' Day | Some Important Facts:
- Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers and may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community in general.
- The idea of celebrating Teachers' Day took root in many countries during the 19th century; in most cases, they celebrate a local educator or an important milestone in education. This is the primary reason why countries celebrate this day on different dates, unlike many other International Days.
- For example, Argentina has commemorated Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's death on 11 September as Teachers' Day since 1915.
- In India, the birthday of the second president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (5 September) is celebrated as Teachers' Day since 1962. On this day, teachers and students report to school as usual but the usual activities and classes are replaced by activities of celebration, thanks and remembrance. In some schools, senior students take the responsibility of teaching in order to show their appreciation for the teachers.
- Many countries celebrate their Teachers' Day on 5 October in conjunction with World Teachers' Day, which was established by UNESCO in 1994.
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