Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Sarvepalli Radhakrishnayya About this sound listen ; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975) was an Indian philosopher and statesman who was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.One of India's most distinguished twentieth-century scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, his academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921–1932) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at University of Oxford (1936–1952).His philosophy was grounded in Advaita Vedanta, reinterpreting this tradition for a contemporary understanding.