Intersting Facts About Dr. Sarvepalli Radharishnan On Teachers Day

 

 Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan dabbled in various roles starting from Philosopher to the President of India, but people remember him majorly for his contribution as a teacher. Radhakrishnan is acclaimed for dedicating his life towards education and improving the standards in the field of education.

"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' Day," Dr Radhakrishnan said in 1962. Since then, Teachers' Day is observed across the country on his birthday, i.e., September 5.

A recipient of Bharat Ratna, Dr Radhakrishnan, stands at the top when it comes to impeccable contribution to education. Dr Radhakrishnan is one of the role models to many aspiring minds. Here, Intersting facts about Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan !

        Interesting Facts about  Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on Teachers Day

1.       Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September, 1888 at Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu. His father and mother were Sarvepalli Veeraswami and Sitamma. His wife was Sivakamu, and he was the father of five daughters and one son.

2.      Throughout his academic life, he was awarded scholarships. He joined Voorhees College in Vellore but later moved to the Madras Christian College at the age of 17. In 1906, he had completed his Master's degree in Philosophy and became a professor.

3.     He was knighted in 1931 and since then till the attainment of Independence, he was addressed as Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. But after independence, he came to be known as Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. In 1936, he was named as Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford. Also, elected as the Fellow of the All Souls College.

4.       He was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. He served as ambassador to UNESCO and later to Moscow.

5.     In 1952, he became the first Vice President of India and in 1962, he became the second President of independent India.

6.    He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1954 and in 1961 the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. In 1963, he also received the Order of Merit and in 1975, the Templeton prize for promoting the notion of “a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people”. And amazing is that he had donated the entire prize money to Oxford University. 

7.     To join the University of Calcutta, Dr. Radhakrishnan left Mysore University. The students of Mysore University took him to the station in a carriage that had been decorated with flowers.

8.    From 1931-1936, he was the Vice-Chancellor at Andhra University, and from 1939-1948, he was the Vice-Chancellor at Banaras Hindu University. And at Delhi University, he was the Chancellor from 1953-1962.

9.       Let us tell you that in the memory of Dr. Radhakrishnan, Oxford University started the Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships and the Radhakrishnan Memorial Award.

10.   He had founded Helpage India, which is a non-profit organisation for elderly and underprivileged people.

11. Since 1962, Teachers' Day in India is celebrated on 5 September every year to pay tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary.

12.   One more thing which we can't forget about him is that when he became the President of India, he accepted only Rs 2500 out of Rs 10,000 salary and the remaining amount was donated to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund every month.

13.   He died on 17 April, 1975.

 

“When we think we know we cease to learn.” 

by 
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan