Person of the day : Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan : Birth : 5 september

DOWNLOAD PDF

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Born	5 September 1888
Place	Thiruttani, Madras Presidency, British India(now in Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	17 April 1975 (aged 86)Madras, Tamil Nadu, India(now Chennai)
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Sivakamu, Lady Radhakrishnan
Children	Five daughters, One son
Alma mater	Madras Christian College, University of Madras
Profession	Philosopher Professor
Religion	Hinduism
Awards	Bharat Ratna Ribbon.svg Bharat Ratna (1954)
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born in a Telugu Brahmin family in a village near Thiruttani India, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency near the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states. His father's name was Sarvepalli Veeraswami and his mother's was Sitamma. His early years were spent in Thiruttani and Tirupati. His father was a subordinate revenue official in the service of a local zamindar (landlord). His primary education was at K.V High School at Thiruttani. In 1896 he moved to the Hermansburg Evangelical Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati and Govt hr sec school Walajapet
Teachers' Day
When he became the President of India, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, on September 5. He replied,
"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teachers' Day."
His birthday has since been celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.
Classification of religions
For Radhakrishnan, theology and creeds are intellectual formulations, and symbols of religious experience or "religious intuitions". Radhakrishnan qualified the variety of religions hierarchically according to their apprehension of "religious experience", giving Advaita Vedanta the highest place
The worshippers of the Absolute
The worshippers of the personal God
The worshippers of the incarnations like Rama, Kṛiṣhṇa, Buddha
Those who worship ancestors, deities and sages
The worshippers of the petty forces and spirits

Awards and honours
1931	appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1931, although he ceased to use the title "Sir" after India attained independence.
1938	elected Fellow of the British Academy.
1954	The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India.
1954	German "Order pour le Merite for Arts and Science"
1961	the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
1962	Institution of Teacher's Day in India, yearly celebrated at 5 September, Radhakrishnan's birthday, in honour of Radhakrishnan's belief that "teachers should be the best minds in the country".
1963	the British Order of Merit.
1968	Sahitya Akademi fellowship,The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer(he is the first person to get this award)
1975	the Templeton Prize in 1975, a few months before his death, for advocating non-aggression and conveying "a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people." He donated the entire amount of the Templeton Prize to Oxford University.
1989	institution of the Radhakrishnan Scholarships by Oxford University in the memory of Radhakrishnan. The scholarships were later renamed the "Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships".

Quotes
"It is not God that is worshipped but the authority that claims to speak in His name. Sin becomes disobedience to authority not violation of integrity."
"Reading a book gives us the habit of solitary reflection and true enjoyment."
"When we think we know, we cease to learn."
"A literary genius, it is said, resembles all, though no one resembles him."
"There is nothing wonderful in my saying that Jainism was in existence long before the Vedas were composed."

Bibliography
Works by Radhakrishnan
The philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore (1918), Macmillan, London, 294 pages
Indian Philosophy (1923) Vol.1, 738 pages. Vol 2, 807 pages. Oxford University Press.
The Hindu View of Life (1926), 92 pages
An Idealist View of Life (1929), 351 pages
Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), Oxford University Press, 396 pages
Religion and Society (1947), George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 242 pages
The Bhagavadgītā: with an introductory essay, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes (1948), 388 pages
The Dhammapada (1950), 194 pages, Oxford University Press
The Principal Upanishads (1953), 958 pages, HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Recovery of Faith (1956), 205 pages
A Source Book in Indian Philosophy (1957), 683 pages, Princeton University Press, with Charles A. Moore as co-editor.
Religion, Science & Culture (1968), 121 pages
Biographies and monographs on Radhakrishnan
Several books have been published on Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:
Schilpp, Paul Arthur, ed. (1992) [1952, Tudor]. The Philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-0792-8.
Murty, K. Satchidananda; Ashok Vohra (1990). Radhakrishnan: his life and ideas. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-0343-2.
Minor, Robert Neil (1987). Radhakrishnan: a religious biography. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-88706-554-6.
Gopal, Sarvepalli (1989). Radhakrishnan: a biography. Unwin Hyman. ISBN 0-04-440449-2.
Pappu, S.S. Rama Rao (1995). New Essays in the Philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Delhi: South Asia Books. ISBN 978-81-7030-461-6.
Parthasarathi, G.; Chattopadhyaya, Debi Prasad, eds. (1989). Radhakrishnan: centenary volume. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Some facts about SR
1. Knighthood
His contribution towards the field of education earned Dr. Radhakrishnan several awards, including the Bharat Ratna. He even received the Knighthood from the British emperor King George V in 1931 for his excellence in teaching. Three decades later, Dr. Radhakrishnan was even honored with an 'Order of Merit' by the royal folks of Britain.
2. Templeton Prize
In 1975, towards the end of his life, Radhakrishnan was felicitated with a 'Templeton Prize' by the well-known 'Templeton Foundation'. However, the generous scholar donated the entire amount earned through the Templeton Prize to the 'Oxford University'.
3. His Father's Was opposed To His Education
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was born into an economically backward family in a village around the border of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. His father wanted him to turn into a priest at a temple rather than study at an institutuion, but destiny had other plans. The young Radhakrishnan enrolled into a school at Thiruthani and eventually became one of the most learned Indians.
4. A Sweet Tribute By His Students
After a teaching stint at Mysore University, Dr. Radhakrishnan was moving to Calcutta on his next assignment. His beloved students bid him farewell by transporting Dr. Radhakrishnan in a flower carriage to the railway station. This carriage was propelled by these students who physically pulled it till its destination.
5. H.N Spalding
A renowned English scholar of the 20th century, named H.N Spalding had become a great admirer of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, after hearing the latter's speeches in England. Dr. Radhakrishnan's words motivated Spalding to initiate a chair in the world famous Oxford University in honor of 'Eastern Religions and Ethics'. This division of the Oxford offers grants for those who conduct research on religious studies.
6. Philosophy
Dr. Radhakrishnan had penned various books on philosophy and even taught the subject at the Madras University. He is known as one of the best philosophers India has produced till date and was well-known even overseas. Famous British Philosopher and historian Bertrand Rusell had once said that Radhakrishnan being appointed as the President of India would be the 'Greatest honor to philosophy'.
7. His Tryst With The Soviet Union & UNESCO
Dr. Radhakrishnan was given the responsibility of being India's ambassador to Soviet Union, which was a challenging task. Not many know that he was also appointed the chairman of UNESCO's executive board.
8. Fitting Reply Against Racism
It is believed that during a dinner in London, a British citizen remarked that all Indians are black skinned. Dr. Radhakrishnan gently replied to this comment by saying that "God once baked a piece of bread more than what was needed and it was known as the so called 'negro'. God's next experiment at baking was undercooked, which was known 'European'. The almighty tried a final experiment where he baked the bread to the ideal extent and it was termed 'Indian'.
9. Benaras Hindu University
This eminent teacher was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of 'Benaras Hindu Unviersity' in 1939, when the nation was still under British rule. The British Governor of the region back then, Sir Maurice Hallet, wanted to turn the University campus into a war hospital, which was the latter's way of responding to the 'Quit India Movement' started by Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. Radhakrishnan strongly opposed this politically motivated thought of Hallet, as a result of which financial support to the university was stalled. Dr. Radhakrishnan personally approached philanthropists and thinkers across the country to raise funds, in a bid to keep the university functioning.
10. His Amusing Behavior At The Rajya Sabha
Many have claimed that when the atmosphere inside the Parliament house becomes chaotic with political leaders arguing with each other, Dr. Radhakrishnan used to calm down the heated atmosphere in an unusual way. He would recite verses from the Bhagvad Gita or the Bible to instill discipline within the crowd. Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had quoted that 'Dr. Radhakrishnan made the parliament sessions seem more like family gatherings'.