Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Why is in news? President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu paid floral tributes to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India on his birth anniversary

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was an Indian politician, philosopher and statesman who served as the second president of India from 1962 to 1967.

He served as 2^nd President of India from 1962 to 1967 and 1^st Vice President of India from 1952 to 1962.

He was born on September 5, 1888, in Tiruttani, which is now in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, India.

He was born into a Telugu-speaking family.

He was one of the founders of Helpage India, a renowned NGO for elderly underprivileged in India.

He was the first Indian to hold a chair at the University of Oxford – the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics (1936-1952).

He defended Hinduism against “uninformed Western criticism” and played a major role in the formation of contemporary Hindu identity.

Radhakrishnan's philosophy was grounded in Advaita Vedanta.

He also authored the book ‘The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore’ in 1917.

His other works include Indian Philosophy, (1923-27), The Philosophy of the Upanishads (1924), An Idealist View of Life (1932), Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), and East and West: Some Reflections (1955).

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1954.

He received a knighthood in 1931 and honorary membership of the British Royal Order of Merit in 1963.

He was elected chairman of UNESCO’s executive board in 1948.

On April 17, 1975, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan passed away, leaving behind a lasting legacy of scholarship, philosophy, and political leadership.