Professor S. Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) was a prominent philosopher, author and educationalist. He was equally at home in the European and Asiatic traditions of thought, and devoted an immense amount of energy to interpreting Indian religion, culture and philosophy for the rest of the world. He was a visiting professor at many foreign universities, and served as India's Ambassador Extraordinary to the USSR from 1949 to 1952. He was elected to the office of vice-president of India in 1957. He became the President of India in 1962 and held this rank until 1967, when he retired from public life. He wrote a number of books for readers the world over. Some of his outstanding works are The Hindu View of Life, Indian Philosophy, Vols I and II, and a seminal translation of and commentary on the Bhagavadgita.