S. radhakrishnan: his life and ideas

S. Radhakrishnan (1888- 1975) was a famous philosopher and later President of India. Radhakrishnan's student days are recalled, his busy academic career from Madras to Calcutta, to Banaras and to Oxford University. And then back to New Dehli he had a successful political career that was well regarded internationally. Although this biography looks at Radhakrishnan's promotions and successes with meticulous accuracy, the authors acknowledge that Radhakrishnan was a private person and therefore could only touch briefly on his personal life. Radhakrishnan's intellectual life, however, is clearly outlined by looking at Radhakrishnan the student, the friend, the teacher, the professor, the university administrator and then the political statesman. He followed the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda by being the leading spokesman for modern Hinduism. Possibly his most enduring legacy was his lectures and writings on Hinduism, especially his spellbinding speaking tour at the major British and American universities in the 1920's.