Swami
Vivekananda, known in his pre-monastic life as Narendranath Datta, was
born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. His father,
Vishwanath Datta, was a successful attorney with interests in a wide
range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was endowed with
deep devotion, strong character and other qualities. A precocious boy,
Narendra excelled in music, gymnastics and studies. By the time he
graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of
different subjects, especially Western philosophy and history. Born with
a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his
boyhood, and was associated with Brahmo Movement for some time.
With Sri Ramakrishna
At the threshold of youth Narendra had to pass through a
period of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the
existence of God. It was at that time he first heard about Sri
Ramakrishna from one of his English professors at college. One day in
November 1881, Narendra went to meet Sri Ramakrishna who was staying at
the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. He straightaway asked the Master a
question which he had put to several others but had received no
satisfactory answer: “Sir, have you seen God?” Without a moment’s
hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly
as I see you, only in a much intenser sense.”
Apart from removing doubts from the mind of Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna
won him over through his pure, unselfish love. Thus began a
guru-disciple relationship which is quite unique in the history of
spiritual masters. Narendra now became a frequent visitor to
Dakshineshwar and, under the guidance of the Master, made rapid strides
on the spiritual path. At Dakshineshwar, Narendra also met several young
men who were devoted to Sri Ramakrishna, and they all became close
friends.
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, in a middle
class family in the pilgrim town of Tirutani. His father, it is said,
did not want his son to learn English, instead wanted him to become a
priest. However, the talents of the boy were so outstanding that he was
sent to school at Thirupati and then Vellore. Later, he joined the
Christian College, Madras, and studied philosophy. Drawn by accident
into philosophy, Radhakrishnan by his confidence, concentration and
strong convictions went on to become a great philosopher.
Philosophy and Life
His first book, "The Ethics of the Vedanta and Its Material
Presupposition"', being his thesis for the M.A. degree examination of
the Madras University, published in 1908, at once established his fame
as a great philosopher of undoubted ability. All his later works are
landmarks in their respective fields. Expressing abstract and abstruse
philosophical thoughts in intelligible language is considered very
difficult. But Dr. Radhakrishnan was one of the few who could accomplish
this with ease and simplicity.
To him, philosophy was a way of understanding life and his study of
Indian philosophy served as a cultural therapy. By interpreting Indian
thought in western terms and showing that it was imbued with reason and
logic he was able to give Indians a new sense of esteem, who were
overcome by inferiority complex by imperial forces. But he also made
clear to them that their long and rich tradition had been arrested and
required further evolution and he exhorted Indians to cast off much that
was corrupt and abhorrent.
Social Commitment
Dr. Radhakrishnan moved beyond being a mere academic and sought to
engage his philosophical and religious studies in the political and
social developments of the contemporary context.
He believed that in India, the philosopher's duty was to keep in
touch with the past while stretching out to the future. This commitment
to society, the crusading urgent tone in his scholarly writings, the
modern note in his interpretations of even classical texts and his
intellectual resistance to the deforming pressures of colonialism gave
Dr. Radhakrishnan a distinct public image. He was a coin minted
differently from the usual run of politicians and academicians.
Evocative Teacher
Far from being a stern and severe intellectual remote from the
world, Dr. Radhakrishnan was a very humane person. Exceedingly popular
among his students right from his early days as a professor at
Presidency College, Madras he was an evocative teacher. He was offered
the professorship in Calcutta University when he was less than 30 years
old. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to
1936. In 1939, he was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu
University .Two years later, he took over the Sir Sayaji Rao Chair of
Indian Culture and Civilisation in Banaras.
Recognition of his scholarship came again in 1936, when he was
invited to fill the Chair of Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and
Ethics at Oxford which he retained for 16 years. His mastery on his
subject and his clarity of thought and expression made him a much sought
after teacher. But what made him even more popular was his
warmheartedness and his ability to draw out people. This aspect of his
personality continued to win him countless admirers throughout his long
and illustrious public life.
In the last decades of British rule, his was the most sophisticated
and exalted analysis of Gandhi's work and thought and in free India he
provided the ideological armour for Nehru's foreign policy.
International Acclaim
His commitment to high principles and unfailing dignity lent
nobility and moral authority to all the offices which he held. If in
India Dr. Radhakrishnan was a highly respected figure, abroad he became
one of the best-liked public figures of his time. He earned very early
international recognition as a philospher. In 1952, the Library of
Living Philosophers, an institute of world-wide repute, brought out a
massive volume on 'the philosophy of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan' devoted
wholly to a critical appreciation of his philosophical doctrines.
After Independence, this philosophical luminary, who personified the
essence of India yet had a universal vision, became an ideal ambassador
to the Soviet Union, for the nascent nation poised to establish itself
in the international arena.
Leading the Nation
In 1952, Dr. Radhakrishnan was chosen to be the Vice President of
the Republic of India and in 1962, he was made the Head of the State for
five years. It was the glory of Indian democracy that an educationist
aloof from politics but with an international acclaim as a profound
scholar was placed in the position of the President. And it was an
advantage for a young country like India to have him to interpret its
domestic and foreign policies abroad to expound its outlook and
aspirations emphatically and in the rightway which was much needed in a
world of uncertainity and disbelief among nations.
His appointment as President was hailed by Bertrand Russel who said
"It is an honour to philosophy that Dr.Radhakrishnan should be President
of India and I, as a philosopher, take special pleasure in this. Plato
aspired for philosophers to become kings and it is a tribute to India
that she should make a philosopher her President".
History reserved for Radhakrishnan's term of office as President
much suspense and surprise. Within months of his ascendancy in 1962
there was the Chinese invasion. The nation's morale was dealt a blow but
RadhakrishnanÕs voice, firm and resolute came on the air to reassure a
shaken nation:
"Owing to the difficult terrain and numerical superiority of the
Chinese, we suffered military reverses. These have opened our eyes to
the realities of the situation. We are now aware of our inadequacies and
are alive to the needs of the present and the demands of the future.
The country has developed a new purpose, a new will".
In 1965, Pakistan violated our Western frontiers. Dr Radhakrishnan
in his broadcast to the nation on September 25, 1965 said,"Pakistan
assumed that India was too weak or too afraid or too proud to fight.
India, though naturally disinclined to take to arms felt the necessity
to defend herself when attacked. Pakistan also assumed that communal
disturbances would occur in the country and in the resulting chaos she
could have her way. Her miscalculations must have come to her as a rude
shock."
Dr.Radhakrishnan had great faith in Indian democracy. In his
farewell broadcast to the Nation on May 12, 1967, he said that despite
occasional forebodings to the contrary, the Indian Constitution had
worked successfully so far. But democracy, he warned, was more than a
system of the Government. "It was a way of life and a regime of
civilised conduct of human affairs. We should be the architects of
peaceful changes and the advocates of radical reform", he said.
Great Teacher
It was in 1962 when Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President of India
that his birthday in September came to be observed as 'Teachers' Day'.
It was a tribute to Dr.Radhakrishnan's close association with the cause
of teachers. Whatever position he held whether as President or Vice
President or even as Ambassador, Dr.Radhakrishnan essentially remained a
teacher all his life. The teaching profession was his first love and
those who studied under him still remember with gratitude his great
qualities as a teacher.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of his closest friends
throughout, said about Dr.Radhakrishnan: "He has served his country in
many capacities. But above all, he is a great Teacher from whom all of
us have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is IndiaÕs peculiar
privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great
humanist as her President. That in itself shows the kind of men we
honour and respect."
Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the nation, was conferred on him
in 1954 in recognition of his meritorious service to mankind.
* 5th September, the birthday of Dr. Radhskrishnan, is observed as
Teacher's Day.
| 1. |
Grand Central Terminal, Park Avenue, New York is the world's |
| A. |
largest railway station |
| B. |
highest railway station |
| C. |
longest railway station |
| D. |
None of the above |
|
| 2. |
Entomology is the science that studies |
| A. |
Behavior of human beings |
| B. |
Insects |
| C. |
The origin and history of technical and scientific terms |
| D. |
The formation of rocks |
|
| 3. |
Eritrea, which became the 182nd member of the UN in 1993, is in the continent of |
|
|
| 4. |
Garampani sanctuary is located at |
| A. |
Junagarh, Gujarat |
| B. |
Diphu, Assam |
| C. |
Kohima, Nagaland |
| D. |
Gangtok, Sikkim |
|
| 5. |
For which of the following disciplines is Nobel Prize awarded? |
| A. |
Physics and Chemistry |
| B. |
Physiology or Medicine |
| C. |
Literature, Peace and Economics |
| D. |
All of the above |
|
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