Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan birth anniversary: Top 20 facts, quotes

Teacher's Day 2022: India is celebrating the 134th birth anniversary of former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Read this detailed report about his life and some quotes from him

Teacher's Day will be celebrated today in India on September 5, Monday to remember the former Indian President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's contribution to India.  
 

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This report will cover some of the best facts and quotes from his life that will inspire you to become the best version of yourself. His work in politics, philosophy, comparative religion and eastern-western philosophies helped India become more aware and educated.

Who was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan?

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was an Indian academic, philosopher and politician. He served as the second President of India from 1962 to 1967, and the first vice President of India from 1952 to 1962. Apart from that, he was the second ambassador of India to the Soviet Union between 1949 and 1952.

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Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Birth Anniversary: Top 20 lesser known facts
 

1. He was named as Spalding Professor of Eastern religions and ethics at the University of Oxford and elected fellow of the All Souls College.

2. He was knighted in 1931 by Britishers since then he was addressed as Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, but later it changed to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1947.

3. He was awarded Bharat Ratna (1954), Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (1961), the Order of Merit (1963) and the Templeton prize in 1975 for promoting the idea of "a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people”. Interestingly, he donated the whole prize money to Oxford University

4. In 1946, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly 1946 and served as ambassador to UNESCO and later to Moscow, Russia.

5. Dr. Radhakrishnan was a student of Mysore University but left to join the University of Calcutta. 
Oxford University started the Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships and the Radhakrishnan Memorial Award to honour Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

6. In 1962, his birth anniversary on September 5 started to be celebrated as "Teacher's Day".

7. He was the founder of Helpage India, a non-profit organization for underprivileged people and elder beings.

8. He was nominated 16 times for the Nobel Prize for his contribution to Literature.

9. He was also nominated 11 times for Nobel Peace Prize.

10. He accepted only Rs 2500 out of Rs 10,000 salary and donated the remaining amount to the Prime Minister's National Relief fund every month.

11. He also was the first person to be awarded the coveted Sahitya Akademi fellowship.

12. Some of his best books were, Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore, An Idealist View of Life, The Hindu View of Life, Kalki or the Future of Civilisation, Gautama the Buddha, Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy, The Religion We Need, India and China, and several others.

13. British officers used to come for his instruction in Telugu and Sanskrit. His expression of any language was immaculate, perfect with a resonant cadence.

14.  He was also the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936.

15. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan thought Tagore's philosophy to be the "genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit" and penned his first book, 'The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore'.

16. Mr. Sarvepalli Gopal his child is a renowned historiographer. Former test cricketer VVS Laxman is his great grand nephew.

17. His father wished him to become a priest yet he was sent to a faculty in Tiruttani.

18. He did his M.A in Philosophy because his cousin had graduated in philosophy and he gave Radhakrishnan free textbooks.

19. Being from a poor family, Radhakrishan studied on scholarship for most of his life.

20. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan got married when he was 16 years old. His wife was six years younger than him.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Birth Anniversary: Best quotes

1.  “Man is a paradoxical being-the constant glory and scandal of this world.”

2. “A life of joy and happiness is possible only based on knowledge and science.”

3. “Books are how we build bridges between cultures.”

4. “The end-product of education should be a free creative man, who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature.”

5. “It is not God that is worshipped but the group or authority that claims to speak in his name. Sin becomes disobedience to authority not a violation of integrity.”

6. “The word Atma (Soul) means the “breath of life”. Atma is the principle of man’s life, the Soul that pervades his being, his breath, and his intellect, and transcends them. Atma is what remains when everything that is not the self is eliminated. It is the unborn and immortal element in man, which is not to be confused with body, mind, or intellect.”

7. “Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers’ Day.”

(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)