Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888 at Tirutani, Madras in a poor Brahmin family. As his father could not afford his education, Radhakrishnan supported most of his education through scholarships. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had his early education at Gowdie School, Tiruvallur and then went to the Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati for his high school. He joined the Voorhee's College in Vellore and later switched to the Madras Christian College. He did his B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy. After completing his M.A., Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, accepted an Assistant Lectureship at the Madras Presidency College in 1909. In college, he mastered the classics of Hindu philosophy, namely the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita, Brahmasutra, and commentaries of Sankara, Ramunuja and Madhava. He also acquainted himself with Buddhist and Jain philosophy and philosophies of Western thinkers such as Plato, Plotinus, Kant, Bradley, and Bergson. In the year 1918, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore. In 1921, Radhakrishnan was nominated as Professor of Philosophy at the Calcutta University, 1921. In 1923, Dr. Radhakrishnan's book "Indian Philosophy" was published. The book was hailed as a "philosophical classic and a literary masterpiece." Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was called to Oxford University, to deliver lectures on Hindu philosophy. He used his lectures as a platform to further India's cause for freedom. He also argued that Western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by theological influences from their wider culture. He showed that Indian philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of being called philosophy by Western standards. He thus placed Indian Philosophy on world map. In the year 1931, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected as the Vice Chancellor of the Andhra University and in the year 1939, he became the Vice Chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University. He was appointed as Ambassador to UNESCO in the year n 1946. In 1948, after Independence, Dr. Radhakrishnan was requested to Chair the University Education Commission and the Committee's suggestions helped in moulding the education system. In the year 1949, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed ambassador to the Soviet Union. He helped laid the foundation for a strong relationship with Soviet Union. In the year 1952, Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice-President of India . He was honored with the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1954. After serving two terms as Vice-President, he was elected as the second President of India. During his tenure as President India fought wars with China and Pakistan. He retired as President in 1967 and settled in Madras. His birthday is celebrated as Teacher’s Day all over India. On April 17, 1975, he left for heavenly abode.
