The making of Tamil Nadu’s ‘second’ Radhakrishnan

In an old, cramped, two-storey concrete house in southern Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, elected on Tuesday as India’s I5th Vice President, was born to small-time businessman CK Ponnusamy and Janaki Ammal on May 4, 1957.

- KA Shaji

“We named him Radhakrishnan, hoping he would become like President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,” his mother said, her voice brimming with pride. “Lord Sundaramoorthy has elevated him,” she added, referring to a 8th century devotee of Hindu God Shiva who is venerated inthe region.

India's first vice-president and second president, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, was born in Thiruttani, 424km away. In Tiruppur’s dusty lanes, where Radhakrishnan once played cricket with friends, neighbours erupted in celebration. Childhood friend Mohan Karthik, recalling the boy who never raised hisvoice in anger, said, “We studied together ina small government elementary school and played on the streets. He treated everyone equally.”

At the Government Subramania Chettiar Higher Secondary School, teachers gathered to remember the boy whosat in their classrooms. “He studied here,” recalled teacher Ponselvi.

“In the classroom, he was already considered an authority on Indian puranas and culture. It was clear he was sharp, and intellectually driven from his formative years, While we never had the chance to meet his former teachers, we interacted with many of his fellow students, who remember him with admiration.”

Radhakrishnan’s political journey began young. At 17, when most peers were absorbed in sports and studies, he became a state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in 1974. By then, he was already steeped in the discipline of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, attending shakhas with the intensity he once reserved for sports. He later served as RSS city chief in Tiruppur and rose through its organisational ranks.