Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, His Life and Works

Since the times of Rig Veda, India has produced in every generation men of lofty religious thoughts who have contributed, in a magnificient scale, to the religious and philosophical thought and helped in their own way in the restoration and revival of spiritual values on which our civilization is based. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was one of the torch bearers who appealed for a courageous effort with dedication and devotion for the recovery of the lost spiritual values. He was an exponent of Hinduism in the grand tradition of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swamy Vivekananda and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. While Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru involved themselves in the freedom struggle, Radha-Krishnan was engaged in projecting the image of India on the world’s cultural and spiritual plane. He was a scholar, philosopher, politician logician, statesman and above all a great patriot and humanist. As a philosopher, he has presented the ultimate truths of religion in the psychological idiom of the age and transformed the metaphysics and abstractions of both eastern and western world into a crystal clear exposition of the meaning and purpose of life and the role of the man in the vast and infinite cosmos and has proved the innovative and universal potentialities of Indian philosophy. Radhakrishnan started his career as a college teacher, held many high offices in Indian and abroad culminating in his becoming the Head of the Indian Republic. As a Professor of Philosophy, he educated the contemporary generations in the appreciation of the highest human and ethical values he cherished. As Vice Chancellor he transformed the Universities of Andhra and Mysore and the Banaras Hindu University into great seats of learning reminding us of the traditions of Nalanda. As the Chairman of the Exe- into a home of liberty whose ideal was the promotion of liberty of mind and freedom cutive Board of UNESCO in 1984, Radha-Krishnan warned the world of the dangers of economic disparities between different parts of the world and appealed to the world nations to adopt a democratic method to solve their problems. He was awarded Bharata Ratna in 1954. He was elected President of India in 1962 which office he held for a full term fulfilling Plato’s dream of a Philosopher-king and retired from public life in 1967. He received the Order of Merit in 1963, the greatest distinction which a British monarch can confer. He helped to humanise modern politics in an era of power pursuits and materialistic values. He achieved global reputation with his scholarly works and his magnificient contribution to the cultural thought of the world. He was a philosopher by temperament, teacher by vocation, statesman by choice and an administrator by discipline. This inspiring biography of an outstanding statesman, philosopher, educationist and teacher of distinction who has left an indelible imprint on our times and played a memorable role in contemporary history should be a ‘must for all the public and private libraries. 

C. Nagaraja Rao (born in 1954) graduated in science from the Government College, Rajahmundry in 1970 and received his M.A., degree in Political Science from Sir Venkateswara University, Tirupati in 1980. Rao served as Deputy Field Officer (Tech) in the Directorate General of Security in the Government of India (1976-78) and joined the Government of Andhra Pradesh, consequent to his appointment as Municipal Commissioner in 1979. He contributed original articles to various periodicals. He came under the powerful influence of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan’s philosophy from his student days. The present work is the outcome of his intensive study of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s Writings.