Born: September 5, 1888; Died: April 17, 1975 
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) was a distinguished Indian philosopher, statesman, and the second President of India (1962–1967). Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, at Tirutani, Madras, in a poor Brahmin family. As his father was poor, Radhakrishnan supported most of his education through scholarships. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan received his early education at Gowdie School in Tiruvallur, then attended the Lutheran Mission School in Tirupati for high school. He joined the Voorhees’s College in Vellore and later switched to the Madras Christian College. He chose Philosophy as his major subject and did his B.A. and M.A. in it. 

After completing his M.A., Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan accepted an Assistant Lectureship at the Madras Presidency College in 1909. In college, he mastered the classics of Hindu philosophy, namely the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutra, and the commentaries of Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhava. He also acquainted himself with Buddhist and Jain philosophies and with the philosophies of Western thinkers such as Plato, Plotinus, Kant, Bradley, and Bergson. 

In 1918, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore. In 1921, Radhakrishnan was nominated as Professor of Philosophy at Calcutta University. In 1923, Dr. Radhakrishnan's book "Indian Philosophy" was published. The book was hailed as a "philosophical classic and a literary masterpiece." 
A bridge-builder between East and West, he served as a professor at Oxford and Calcutta. He strongly supported education, with his birthday, September 5, celebrated as Teachers' Day in India. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at the University of Oxford and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. Later, he served as Vice-Chancellor of Hindu Benaras University from 1939 to 1948. 
In 1946, he was appointed as Ambassador to UNESCO. After Independence, Dr. Radhakrishnan was requested to chair the University Education Commission in 1948. The Radhakrishnan Committee's suggestions helped shape the education system to meet India's needs. 

Radhakrishnan was elected the first Vice President of India in 1952 and the second President of India (1962–1967).  Placed Indian philosophy on the world map.  He was also a philosopher who introduced Western idealist thought into Indian thought. He was a famous teacher, and his birthday is celebrated as Teacher's Day in India. 
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was called to Oxford University to deliver lectures on Hindu philosophy. He used his lectures as a platform to further India's cause for freedom. He also argued that Western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were biased by theological influences from their wider culture. He showed that Indian philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of the label "philosophy" by Western standards. He thus placed Indian Philosophy on the world map. In 1931, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected Vice Chancellor of Andhra University. In 1939, Radhakrishnan became the Vice Chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University. 

In 1949, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed ambassador to the Soviet Union. He helped lay the foundation for a strong relationship with the Soviet Union. Radhakrishnan was elected the first Vice-President of India in 1952. He was honored by Bharat Ratna in 1954. After serving two terms as Vice-President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected President of India in 1962. During his tenure as President, India fought wars with China and Pakistan. As President, he helped see India through those trying years safely. He retired as President in 1967 and settled in Madras. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan died on April 17, 1975, the 5th of September, which is celebrated every year as "Teacher's Day.

Dr. Radhakrishnan was a professor of Eastern Religions at Oxford University and the first Indian to be a Fellow of the British Academy. He was also named the 'Knight of the Golden Army of Angels,' the Vatican's highest honor for a Head of State.
Above all, he is among the brightest luminaries of Hindu philosophy and a champion of 'Sanatana Dharma.'