His association with politics began rather late in life. In 1931, he was nominated to the League of Nations ‘Committee of Intellectual Cooperation’, owing to his vast knowledge in Indian and Eastern philosophy.
Following India’s Independence in 1947, Dr Radhakrishnan became the Indian representative at the UNESCO from 1946-1952, simultaneously fulfilling his responsibilities as the Indian Ambassador to Russia from 1949 to 1952.
According to IANS, his role as the envoy to Moscow was of utmost importance as the Cold War was its peak, and Dr Radhakrishnsn’s effective diplomacy lay the grounds for initiating Soviet/Russian support for India on Kashmir.
In fact, veteran diplomat Maharaja Krishna Rasgotra, in his memoir ‘A Life in Diplomacy’ terms the decision to send Radhakrishnan to Moscow, “Nehru’s most imaginative choice for the post at that particular time”.
Though never an active member of the Congress, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly. He was elected as the first Vice-President of India in 1952, and was subsequently made the President of India in 1962. As President, Dr Radhakrishnan made 11 foreign trips, including the USSR and US.
He has been credited for cooling tempers during the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. According to IANS, it was his refusal to accept then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s recommendation to take back ministers who had resigned over the agitation that forced Shastri to bow down and work for a compromise, bringing the agitation to a stand-still.
But above all, Dr Radhakrishnan was a teacher par excellence, who believed that “Teachers should be the best minds in the country”, prompting his birthday to be celebrated nationally as ‘Teacher’s Day’.
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