Teacher's Day Special
Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
(1888-1975)
As an academic, philosopher, and statesman, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) was one of the most recognized and influential Indian thinkers in academic circles in the 20th century. Throughout his life and extensive writing career, Radhakrishnan sought to define, defend, and promulgate his religion, a religion he variously identified as Hinduism, Vedanta, and the religion of the Spirit. He sought to demonstrate that his Hinduism was both philosophically coherent and ethically viable. Radhakrishnan’s concern for experience and his extensive knowledge of the Western philosophical and literary traditions has earned him the reputation of being a bridge-builder between India and the West. He often appears to feel at home in the Indian as well as the Western philosophical contexts, and draws from both Western and Indian sources throughout his writing. Because of this, Radhakrishnan has been held up in academic circles as a representative of Hinduism to the West. His lengthy writing career and his many published works have been influential in shaping the West’s understanding of Hinduism, India, and the East. In 1954, the Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna, the highest honour of the country.
Interesting Facts about Dr. Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan on
Teachers Day:
1. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September, 1888
at Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu. His father and mother were Sarvepalli Veeraswami
and Sitamma. His wife was Sivakamu, and he was the father of five daughters and
one son.
2. Throughout his academic life, he was awarded scholarships. He joined Voorhees College in Vellore but later moved to the Madras Christian College at the age of 17. In 1906, he had completed his Master's degree in Philosophy and became a professor.
3. He was knighted in 1931 and since then till the attainment of Independence, he was addressed as Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. But after independence, he came to be known as Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. In 1936, he was named as Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford. Also, elected as the Fellow of the All Souls College.
4. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. He
served as ambassador to UNESCO and
later to Moscow.
5. In 1952, he became the first Vice President of India
and in 1962, he became the second
President of independent India.
6. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1954 and in 1961 the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. In 1963, he also received the Order of Merit and in 1975, the Templeton prize for promoting the notion of “a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people”. And amazing is that he had donated the entire prize money to Oxford University.
7. To join the University of Calcutta, Dr. Radhakrishnan left Mysore University. The students of Mysore University took him to the station in a carriage that had been decorated with flowers.
8. From 1931-1936, he was the Vice-Chancellor at Andhra University, and from 1939-1948, he was the Vice-Chancellor at Banaras Hindu University. And at Delhi University, he was the Chancellor from 1953-1962.
9. Let us tell you that in the memory of Dr. Radhakrishnan, Oxford University started the Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships and the Radhakrishnan Memorial Award.
10 He had founded Helpage India, which is a non-profit
organisation for elderly and underprivileged
people.
11. Since 1962, Teachers' Day in India is celebrated on 5
September every year to pay tribute
to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth
anniversary.
12. One more thing which we can't forget about him is that
when he became the President of India, he accepted only Rs 2500 out of Rs
10,000 salary and the remaining amount was donated to the Prime Minister's
National Relief Fund every month.
13. He died on 17 April, 1975.
"It’s the teacher that makes the difference, not the classroom." – Michael Morpurgo We can’t forget such a humble man who had devoted his entire life to promoting the value of education and also gave Indians a new sense of esteem by gracefully interpreting Indian thought in western terms.
"Teachers should be the best mind in the country ."
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