Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was considered one of India's top scholars in the fields of comparative religion and philosophy. Born in Thiruttani in the erstwhile Madras Presidency, he became the country's second president in 1962, succeeding Rajendra Prasad and was also the first to hold the post of the vice president. On his death anniversary on Monday, tributes poured in from across the nation to honour the notable scholar, who was born on September 5, 1888, which is nationally observed as Teachers’ Day in India.
Leaders including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Union minister Kailash Choudhary, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the former president.
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Kejriwal remembered Radhakrishnan’s contribution to the field of education and tweeted, “Humble tribute to the great educationist and former President of the country, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his death anniversary. He is still remembered as an ideal teacher for his contribution in the field of education.”
While MP CM Chouhan tweeted “Only through education can the human mind be utilized - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. "Tributes to the great teacher, Bharat Ratna, former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan ji on his death anniversary. Your energetic thoughts will always educate and inspire the youth to build a strong India.”
{{/usCountry}}While MP CM Chouhan tweeted “Only through education can the human mind be utilized - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. "Tributes to the great teacher, Bharat Ratna, former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan ji on his death anniversary. Your energetic thoughts will always educate and inspire the youth to build a strong India.”
{{/usCountry}}Congress CMs Baghel and Ashok Gehlot also echoed similar sentiments, paying tribute to the phenomenal leader and remembered his “incomparable contribution to nation building”.
"Tributes to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India, on his death anniversary. Dr. Radhakrishnan considered education as a mission. He carried the dedication and commitment towards education in his life as an ideal teacher. His values of knowledge will always inspire future generations.
Honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1954, Radhakrishnan was the first to be given Sahitya Akademi fellowship, the highest honour granted by the Sahitya Akademi to a writer. Married at the age of 16, he passed away on April 17, 1975 at the age of 86. Among his many achievements, the former president is credited for having made Hinduism more readily accessible to the Western audience.