DR. S. RADHAKRISHNAN
Dr.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on
5th September 1888 in Thiruttani and passed away on 17 April
1975 in Chennai.
He
was an extraordinary academician, philosopher and statesman. From 1962 to 1967
he served as the President of India. Earlier he was the Vice President of India
from 1952 t0 1962. As a diplomat he served as the Indian ambassador to the
Soviet Union from 1949 to 1952.
He
was primarily a great scholar and philosopher and as such held the highest positions
in the seats of learning.
From
1921-1932, he occupied Spalding Chair of Eastern Religion and Ethics at
University of Oxford from 1936 t0 1952. His knowledge about various subjects
was boundless. He delivered unsurpassable scholarly lectures in various academies and public forums.
He
was honoured with several national and international awards. He was conferred ,
India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1954.
Some
of his books which have become classics are:
An Idealist View of Life; Indian
philosophy; The Hindu View of Life; The Bhagavadgita; The philosophy of
Rabindranath Tagore; The Reign of
Religion in Contemporary philosophy; The philosophy of the Upanishads; Eastern
Religions and Western Thoughts; and East and West.
In
India 5th September is celebrated as Teachers’ Day to honour the
birth anniversary of Dr. Servepalli Radhakrishnan.
To
conclude, here some of his quotes:
*Knowledge gives us power; love gives
us fullness.
*When we think we know we cease to
think.
*The end-product of education should
be a free creative man, who can battle against historical circumstances and
adversities of nature.
*All nations in the world require to pass through a rebirth, through a vast moral
revolution. A civilization is safe when its different elements, economic and
political, ethical and social, artistic and spiritual, what are called in India
dharma, artha, kama and moksa are in balance or harmony, even as
an individual is said to be integrated when his animal, human and spiritual
interests are held in harmony. When any one
of them preponderates to such an extent that it crushes the others, the
principle of unity is broken, disequilibrium starts, discord sets in and the
civilization breaks down.
*******
G.R.Kanwal
5th September 2025
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