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Dr S. Radhakrishnan
Ranga
 THE
birth anniversary of the late President Dr Radhakrishnan which falls on
September 5 is celebrated all over the country as Teacher’s Day. A
former Vice Chancellor of Andhra University and Benares Hindu University
and a visiting professor at Oxford, Dr Radhakrishnan held a unique
position in India after Independence. He did not belong to any political
party but was chosen as the country’s first Vice President by virtue
of his great qualities — sagacity and sweetness of temper. He
succeeded Dr Rajendra Prasad who had completed two terms.
A great orator, he would keep the
audience spell bound especially with his discourses on the Bhagavadgita
and the Upanishads. The philosopher-statesman led an austere
life. He was well-known for his love for art and literature. This sketch
of his attracted him when I met him at his residence and drew into an
enlightening conversation with him when he said, "Art is the sigh
of the soul. It is not a matter of craft or cunning but of
inspiration." So saying, he took the sketch I had drawn of him and
affixed his signature over it.
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