The Scholar President of India

Every President of India is special. You are the Head of the most populous Republic in the world. Representatives of one in every six humans on select you for this office. You have to be impartial towards friends and foes. You are the Supreme Commander of all military resources entrusted with the defense of the Mother Land. You cannot inherit this honor. It is a sacred duty, and pinnacle of all the 8.4 million lifetimes.

It would be scurrilous to suggest that any one person who has ever occupied this highest of Indian offices could any better than peers. However, there must be joyful and reverent consensus that Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was one of the most scholarly titans to grace our Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi with his august and haloed presence.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday is celebrated as Teachers' Day. It is a tribute to his spirit and philosophy.

This President was a prolific writer. Perhaps no Indian has ever matched him for the sheer volumes of translations and commentaries on ancient and sacred texts of India. However, the erudite spirit was no mere scribe, for he has also made classic and mountainous contributions to the evolution of the ethos of modern India.

The secular aspirations of India concerned the President. He was both a Head of State and a deeply religious Hindu. Our colonial rulers first conceived of separate roles for their Church and Government. This was a tacit recognition of power divisions between the religious and ruling leaders of India since time immemorial.

Dr. Radhakrishnan has averred that avoiding shows of partisan faith at official forums alone is not enough: the secular commitment of our constitution demands tolerance for the beliefs of others.

The words ring true to this day. We ignore them at our national peril.