Who was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan?
Let’s start with a story. It was the year 1962. Some of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's students and friends approached him with a request. They wanted to throw a big celebration on his 74th birthday on September 5. But Radhakrishnan refused it and suggested, "Instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege, if the day is observed as Teachers' day". From then on, every year, September 5 has been celebrated as Teachers Day, in India. No matter how popular a teacher is, few can claim such a ‘privilege’. So who was Radhakrishnan and what made him so important?
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and academics
Born on September 5, 1888 in a middle-class family in Tirutani, Sarvepalli was an incredibly bright boy even at school. What really separated him was his voracious reading habit and ability to analyse human thoughts. He took up Philosophy for higher studies at Madras Christian College. There too, he continued delving into all subjects now grouped as ‘social science’ and ‘humanities’. He moved on to become a teacher at the Chennai Presidency College and Calcutta University; later on, he was to become the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra Pradesh University, Delhi University as well as the Banaras Hindu University.
Radhakrishnan’s influence on international academics
Apart from teaching, Radhakrishnan delivered lectures in international academic forums and wrote a large number of books. In 1936, he was called by the Spalding Trust to Oxford University to be Professor, Eastern Religions and Ethics, All Souls College. Radhakrishnan had been a principal at an Oxford College since 1929, and visited Harvard too prior to that.
Radhakrishnan in politics
It’s not surprising that such an influential thinker would be part of the newly independent country’s political system. Radhakrishnan was the leader of the Indian delegation to UNESCO during 1946-52. He became the Vice-President of India from 1952-1962, and the second President of our country in 1962.
This brings us back to the beginning of the story. Radhakrishnan was a remarkable man who wanted to put the contribution of teachers above a day of personal glory. Teacher’s Day continues to be a celebration of a great Indian teacher.