Context: President Droupadi Murmu extended greetings across the nation on the eve of Teachers’ Day, observed annually on September 5.
- The day marks the birth anniversary of celebrated philosopher, educationist, and former President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
About Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:
Who He Was?
- A distinguished philosopher, scholar, author, and statesman who served as the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India (1962–1967).
Early Days and Education:
- Born on September 5, 1888, in Tiruttani (near Madras), he spent his formative years in pilgrimage towns like Tirupati.
- He earned his Master’s Degree in Arts from Madras University, presenting a pathbreaking dissertation titled “The Ethics of the Vedanta and Its Metaphysical Presuppositions”, which defended the ethical depth of Indian philosophical thought.
- He started his academic career in 1909 at Madras Presidency College, later serving as Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore and occupying the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta.
Contributions to India:
- Institutionalizing Higher Education: Led Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as Vice-Chancellor from 1939 to 1948, protecting academic integrity and nationalist ideas during critical freedom movement years.
- Radhakrishnan Commission (1948–1949): Chaired the University Education Commission, which established the foundational policy architecture for modern higher education in post-independence India and led to the creation of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
- Diplomatic Service: Represented India as the leader of its UNESCO delegation and served as India’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1949–1952) during early Cold War tensions, securing vital geopolitical respect for non-aligned India.
- Constitutional Leadership: Upheld democratic principles with non-partisan authority while serving a decade as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Vice President) and subsequently as President of India during the 1960s wars.
Major Achievements and Honors:
- Inaugural Bharat Ratna (1954): Conferred India’s highest civilian honor in the first year of its institution.
- Global Academic Recognition: Appointed the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University and elected Fellow of the British Academy (1939).
- International Honors: Awarded the German Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts (1954), Goethe Plaque (1959), Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (1961), and the Templeton Prize (1975).
- Knighthood (1931): Knighted by the British Crown for his scholarly contributions, later setting it aside post-independence.
