The making of Tamil Nadu’s ‘second’ Radhakrishnan

Radhakrishnan’s political journey began young. At 17, he became a state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh

In an old,cramped, two-storey concrete house in southern Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, elected on Tuesday as India’s 15th Vice President, was born to small-time businessman CK Ponnusamy and Janaki Ammal on May 4, 1957.

Radhakrishnan during a campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Coimbatore. (HT File)

“We named him Radhakrishnan, hoping he would become like President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,” his mother said, her voice brimming with pride. “Lord Sundaramoorthy has elevated him,” she added, referring to a 8th century devotee of Hindu God Shiva who is venerated in the