Teacher’s Day: American embassy posts pics of Radhakrishnan’s 1963 visit to US

The US embassy in India on Thursday marked the birth anniversary of former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan by posting pictures of his June 1963 visit to America. Radhakrishnan had met then US President John F Kennedy.

The visit had come just seven months after India and China fought a bloody war in October to November 1962 in the Himalayas. It was also at a time when India was not anchored to the USSR, but the Cold War (1945-91) had divided the US-led NATO allies and USSR into two camps.

The embassy used a quote of Radhakrishnan and posted pictures on X, saying: “Books are the means by which we build bridges between cultures.” Inspiring quote by former Indian President, the embassy said. After the June 1963 visit, the US and India had issued a joint statement on how to ‘thwart’ the designs of China. A joint statement said: “The President of India spoke of the determination of the government and the people of India to preserve India’s territorial integrity”.

“The two leaders agreed that their countries share a mutual defensive concern to thwart the designs of Chinese aggression against the subcontinent,” the statement added.