Chapter - 3
An Idealist View of Life

- Dr. Radhakrishnan

Question- Write an introduction of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. with whole life.

Answer - 

Radhakrishnan was born as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnayya into a Telugu-speaking family of Sarvepalli Veeraswami and Sithamma in Tiruttani of Madras district in the erstwhile Madras Presidency now in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. His family hails from Sarvepalli village in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. His early years were spent in Thiruttani and Tirupati. His father was a subordinate revenve official in the service of a local zamidar. 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 Government High Secondary School, Walajapet.

Radhakrishnan was awarded scholarships through out his academic life. He joined Voorlees college in vellore for his high school education. After his F.A. (First of Arts) class, he joined the Madras Christian College at the age of 16. He graduated from there is 1907, and also finished his masters from the same college.

Radhakrishnan studied philosophy by chance rather than choice. Being a financially constrained student, when a cousin who graduated from the same college passed on his philosophy textbooks to Radhakrishnan, it automatically decided his academics course.

Sarvepalli wrote his bachelor's degree thesis on "The ethics of the Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions". It was intended to be a reply to the charge that the Vedanta and its metaphysical presuppositions." It was intended to be a reply to the charge that the Vedanta system had no room for ethics. "Two of his prafessors, Rev. William Meston and Dr. Alfred George Hogg, commended Radhakrishnan's dissertation. Radhakrishnan's thesis was published when he was only twenty. According to Radhakrishnan himself, the criticism of Hogg and other Christian teachers of Indian culture "disturbed my faith and shook the traditional props on which I learned. " Radhakrishnan himself describes how as a student,

"The challenge of Christian critics impelled me to make a study of Hinduism and find out what is living and what is dead in it. My pride as a Hindu, roused by the enterprise and eloquence of Swami Vivekanand, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in missionary institutions.

This led him to his critical study Indian philosophy and religion and a lifelong defence of Hinduism against "uninformed western criticism". At the same time, Radhakrishnan commended professor Hogg as "My distinguished teacher, and as "one of the greatest Christian thinkers we had in India'. Besides Professor William Skinner, who was acting principal of the college, gave a testimonial saying "he is one of the best men we have had in the recent years", which enabled him to get the first job in presidency college. In reciprocation, Radhakrishnan dedicated one of his early books to William Skinner.

Marriage and Family - Radhakrishnan was married to Siva-Kamu, a distant cousion, at the age of 16. As per tradition the marriage was arranged by the family. The couple had five daughters named Padmavati, Rukmani, Sushila, Sundari and Shakuntala. They also had a son named Sarvepalli Gopal who went on to a notable career as a historian. Many of Radhakrishnan's family members including his grandchildren and great grandchildren have pursued a wide range of careers in academia, public policy, medicine, law, banking, business publishing and other fields across the world sivakamu died on 26 November 1956. They were married for about 53 years.

His Academic Carrer - In april 1909, Radhakrishnan was appointed to the department of philosophy at the Madras Presidency college, Mysore, By that time he had written many articles for journals of repute like The Quest' journal of Philosophy and the international journal of ethics. He also completed his first book. The Philosophy of Rabidndranath Tagore. He believed Tagore's Philosophy to be the "genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit." His second book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy' was published in 1920.

In 1921 he was appointed as a professor in Philosophy to occupy the King George V. Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. He represented the university of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British empire in June 1926 and the international congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926. Another important academic event during this period was the invitation to deliver the hibbert lecture on the ideals of life which he delivered at Manchester college, Oxford in 1929 and which was subsequently published in book form as 'As An Idealist View Life."

In 1929, Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by principal J. Estin Carpenter at Manchester college. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to the students of the University of Oxford on comparative Religion. For his services to education he was knighted by George V in the June 1931 Birthday Honours, and formally invested with his honour by the Governor-General of India, the Earl of Willington, in Apirl 1932. However, he ceased to use the title after Indian independence, preferning instead his academic title of 'Doctor".

He was the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, Radhakrishnan was named spalding professor of eastern religions and ethics at the University of Oxford, and was elected a fellow of All Souls College. That same year, and again in 1937, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, although this nomination process, as for all laureates, was not public at the time. Further nominations for the award would continue steadily into the 1960's. In 1939 Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya invited him to succeed him as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University. He served as its Vice-Chancellor till January 1948.

His Political Career - Radhakrishnan started his political career 'rather late in life', after his successful academic carrer. His international authority preceded his political career. He was one of those stalwarts who attended Andhra Mahasabha in 1928 where he seconded the idea renaming Ceded Districts division of Madras Presidency as Rayalaseemd. In 1931 he was nominated to the league of Nations Committee for intellectual co- operation, where after "In western eyes he was the recognized Hindu authority on Indian ideas and a persuasive interpreter of the role of Eastern Institutions in contemporary society. When India became independent in 1947. Radhakrishnan represented India at UNESCO (1946-52) and was later Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, from 1949 to 1952. He was also elected to the constituent Assembly of India. Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice-President of India in 1952, and elected as the second president of India (1962-1967).

His motivation lay in his pride of Hindu Culture, and the defense of Hindusim against "Uninformed western criticism."

When Radhakrishnan became the President of India, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday on 5 September. He replied,

"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as "Teacher's Day'.

Radhakrishanan was died on April 16, 1975, Madras.

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