Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), Hindu philosopher and diplomat, who served as the second president of India (1962-1967). Born in Tiruttani (now in Tamil Nadu) and educated at Madras Christian College, in the course of a distinguished academic career he was a professor at the universities of Mysore, Calcutta (now Kolkata), and Oxford; vice-chancellor of Andhra and Banaras Hindu universities; and chancellor of Delhi University. At the same time he wrote many books popularizing Indian traditions for the West, including the two-volume Indian Philosophy (1923-1927) and An Idealist View of Life (1932). He was knighted in 1931.

After India became independent, Radhakrishnan left the academic world for that of diplomacy. He was India's ambassador to the USSR from 1949 to 1952, and then India's vice president, a post he held until elected president in 1962.