Radhakrishnan

by Sarvepalli Gopal

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan stands alongside Nehru and Gandhi as one of the most eminent Indians of his time. He served as India's ambassador to Russia and advised, among others, Stalin, Mao, Nehru, and Indira Gandhi, and in May 1962 he became President of India. The details of his remarkable life are provided in this authoritative biography by his who has relied extensively on the Radhakrishnan papers, still privately possessed by his family, as well as on official archives within the country and abroad.

Genres: Biography

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Sarvepalli Gopal was a well known Indian historian. He is the author of Radhakrishnan: A Biography and Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography.

Reviews

[SA · Rating 5 out of 5]

as a kid, i grew up in madras, now chennai in edward elliots road, and had the oppoturnity to see President Radhakrishnan taking evening walks and could talk to him couple of times. Absolute genius

nice to read his biography

[Shannu Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

[India] is a land where the idealist and the intellectual are yet respected.

Martin Luther King Jr (as quoted in "The Malevolent Republic" by Kapil Komireddi)
Looking at India today - led by illiberal, dogmatic and intolerant leaders with scant respect for scholarship, one might be expected to be sceptical of this romantic saying. But the more I look at our first political leaders, the founders etc, the more I am inspired.

One such person is Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and the best exposition of this refined scholar-statesman is written by his adoring, but unsentimental son. This man, whose lifespan stretched for 85 years and had incarnations of student, writer, teacher, philosopher, administrator, ambassador and politician "emerges as one of the most transformative personalities of the 20th century.

This book summarises the books he wrote, the philosophies that drove him, and also throws his less admirable traits into great relief.

It is worth reading not just because of the philosophy, but politics. We are currently led by people who claim to defend the honour of Bharat Mata. Who claim to uphold its ancient traditions and philosophies etc. In the biography, I found great reprieve from such arrogance. Radhakrishnan was a Hindu, partly motivated by the tendentious and ignorant readings by Christian missionaries to set the record straight. The fact that he has nothing in common with the self-proclaimed "conservatives" is proof of the hollowness of their convictions.

I did not know of the touching friendship between Nehru and Radhakrishnan. Of how important the President post really is. For those interested in 20th Century India, its academic culture in that century, its philosophy and politics, I recommend this book heartily.

[Vivek Radhakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The journey of a man born to obscure parentage in a small village to reaching world-renown as a statesman and a philosopher is miraculous. As Radhakrishnan himself believed, such a journey cannot be solely human. Lives such as this naturally draws our attention to an agent that is driving the vehicle of our lives from the realm of the beyond. Inevitable, therefore, was Radhakrishnan's inquisitiveness about the reigning divine force right from the start of his career as a philosopher. His faith-based religious philosophy however was not a river without banks; it was an out and out political project driven by nationalistic ends. So, the transition from a philosopher to a statesman was smooth without gaps. To get a frame-by-frame account of the eventful life of this 'philosopher king', interspersed of course with humane errs and failings, is quite fascinating. Gopal's attempt at bringing forth all the relevant details to the fore to make this account rich deserves praise. However, one also cannot escape noticing the attempts from the author to carefully ward off the stones thrown at the pedestal on which Radhakrishnan is placed. It is hard to be neutral as a biographer, especially if it is the story of your own beloved father. Despite this, the writing is flawless and the episodes from the biography engage its readers at best.

[Raghav Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart from Radhakrishnan's philosophical ability (which is well known across the globe), this book reveals some very interesting facst about his life, whether it was detail about the allegation by his student, or his journey as professor, vice-chancor, vice-president and president.

[Shamsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant author writing about a brilliant man. A son writing about his dad

[Sariyam · Rating 3 out of 5]

To know his wide range of knowledge

[Subroto Chattopadhyay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read, one of my favourites