Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

By Illa Vij

DR Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a great philosopher, thinker and writer was also the President of our country. He was born on September 5, 1888. His birthday is celebrated as Teacher’s Day. He was born in Tirutani, about 40 miles from Madras. It is a sacred place visited by many pilgrims.

Radhakrishnan belonged to a Brahmin family. His parents were deeply religious and god-fearing. The first 12 years of his life were spent at Tirutani and Tirupati. The spiritual aura prevailing in both the places affected the young boy and he grew into the best-known Hindu philosopher of his age. He spent a lot of time reading and thinking about various aspects of life. He studied in Christian mission schools and went to Madras Christian College for higher studies.

As a youth, Radhakrishnan was greatly influenced by talks given by Swami Vivekananda.

As a result of his education in Christian mission schools and having been influenced by Hinduism; he respected all religions and tried to analyse for himself as to what was right in their teaching and what was wrong. He was married early, and his wife made a good companion for him.

Radhakrishnan began his career as a teacher and was appointed Assistant Professor of philosophy in Madras Presidency College. Though considered to be a dull subject, he made it very interesting for his students. He built a strong bond with his students and tried to imbibe good values in them.

He believed that Hinduism demanded humanity and without humanity, life would be worthless. Besides, being a thinker, he also became a writer. He began by writing on philosophy and religion, for some papers in Europe. Later, he wrote a book in English about the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore.

The University of Mysore asked for his services and appointed him Professor of philosophy. There he taught for about three years and alongside wrote a book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy. The book was such a grand success that it was read by students of philosophy at universities in various parts of the world.

In 1921, Radhakrishnan was selected Professor of mental and moral sciences at Calcutta University. He was also asked to write a book on Indian philosophy which was to be published in English. Through his works, Indian philosophy gained popularity all over the world.

In 1926, Radhakrishnan attended the Empire Universities Congress held in Cambridge. He also gave a lecture in Manchester College, Oxford. He spoke English so fluently and effectively that his lectures were greatly appreciated. He was invited to various universities in America and Europe and each lecture that he gave was a grand success. He then wrote another book, Kalki or the Future of Civilization.

Through this book he effectively conveyed the fact that although science had done much for man’s body, the soul and mind of human being was deprived of what it needed.

Andhra University honoured Radhakrishnan by giving him the degree of D. Litt. This was soon followed by another offer — Chair of Comparative Religions at Manchester College, Oxford. Since Radhakrishnan could not leave at a very short notice, he went to Oxford a year later.

He wrote another book, The Idealistic View of Life. He had gained so much knowledge of the eastern as well as western philosophy that he had in him the best of the East and the West. His lectures abroad, made people change their minds about India and made them understand what Indian philosophy was all about.

Radhakrishnan returned to India in 1930, and he continued his teaching profession. With his vast knowledge, experience and ability, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University at Waltair. He greatly inspired teachers and students, and the university grew in quality and strength.

In 1963, Radhakrishnan was invited to be Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics. This was the first time that an Asian had been asked to fill such an important vacancy at Oxford University.

Radhakrishnan spent another three fruitful years of his life in England. His lectures were published under the title Eastern Religion and Western Thought. The Times gave it an impressive review and even stated that the book may mark a turning point in western civilisation.

He was also awarded Fellowship of All Souls and Fellowship of the British Academy — the highest honours to an intellect. He also wrote an edition of the Bhagavadgita, published in 1948.

In September, 1949, Radhakrishnan went to Moscow as ambassador. All this while, he had got close to Jawaharlal Nehru. He was Vice-President of India from 1952 to 1962 and then became President in 1962. After laying down office in 1967, he spent about eight years in peace and bliss, amongst his old friends and relatives.

In 1954, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. The Government of India, on request of the National Federation of Teachers, declared that his birthday, September 5, would be celebrated as Teacher’s Day.

When Radhakrishnan passed away on April 17,1975, the country lost one of its noblest men.

Some works of Dr Radhakrishnan

The Dharmapada (1950)

The Principal Upanishads (1953)

Recovery of Faith (1955)

Religion in the Changing World (1967)

President Radhakrishnan’s Speeches and Writings 1962-1964 (1965)

President Radhakrishnan’s Speeches and Writings 1964-1967 (1969).