The second President of India was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

Quick Scoop

Who was he?

  • Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a renowned Indian philosopher, scholar, and statesman who became India’s second President, serving from 1962 to 1967.
  • Before that, he was the country’s first Vice President from 1952 to 1962, making him central to early post-independence leadership.

A bit of background

  • He was born on 5 September 1888 in southern India (present-day Andhra Pradesh/Tamil Nadu region) and later taught at major universities like Mysore, Calcutta, and Oxford.
  • His birthday, 5 September, is celebrated in India as Teacher’s Day in honour of his contribution to education and his belief that “teachers should be the best minds in the country.”

Why he’s remembered

  • He is widely remembered for bridging Indian philosophy and Western thought, defending and explaining Hindu philosophy to the world.
  • He received India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1954 for his intellectual and public service contributions.

In short, if someone asks “who was the second president of India” , the clear answer is: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher–statesman and former Vice President who served as President from 1962 to 1967.

TL;DR: The second President of India was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (in office 1962–1967), a famed philosopher, teacher, and statesman whose birthday is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in India.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.