Sarvepalli Gopal (23 April 1923 – 20 April 2002) was a well-known Indian historian. He was the son of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President and the second President of India. He was the author of the ''Radhakrishnan: A Biography'' and ''Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography''.

Early life and education

Sarvepalli Gopal was born in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India, on 23 April 1923 into a middle class family. He was the only son of

S. Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...

, the first vice-president and second president of independent India, and Sivakamu. He had five sisters. Gopal was educated at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist me ...

in London and at the

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...

. He was an undergraduate student of history at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, where he won the Curzon Prize. He continued as a student at Balliol earning his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

on the viceroyalty of Lord Ripon in 1951.

Career

Subsequently, he was appointed as a Director in the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in the 1950s, where he worked closely with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In the 1960s, he was a Reader in Indian History at

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economic ...

. When the new Jawaharlal Nehru University was founded by the then Prime Minister,

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

, he was appointed as a Professor of History at the Centre for Historical Studies, which he helped in setting up. In the 1970s, he was a

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the National Book Trust, New Delhi.

Death

Gopal died due to renal failure in Chennai on 20 April 2002, three days before his 79th birthday.

Publications

Books

*''History of Humanity: Scientific and Cultural Development, Vol. 7: The Twentieth Century'', (Paris: UNESCO, Routledge, 2008) (co-author Tichvinskii, Sergei Leonidovich) *''Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography'', (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2004) *''The Essential Writings of Jawaharlal Nehru'', (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2003) (co-author Uma Iyengar) *''Anatomy of Confrontation: The Babri Masjid Ramjanmabhumi Issue'', (New Delhi: Viking, 1991) *''Radhakrishnan: A Biography'', (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992) *''Economy, Society and Development: Essays and Reflections in Honour of Malcolm Adesheshiah'', (New Delhi: Sage, 1991) (co-authors Kurien, C.T., E.R. Prabhakar) *''Jawaharlal Nehru: An Anthology'', (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1983) *''Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru'', (New Delhi: Orient Longman, 1972–82) (co-authors Chalapatti Rau, M., Sharada Prasad, H.Y., Nanda, B.R.) *''British Policy in India, 1858-1905'', (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965) *''Modern India'', (London: Historical Association, 1967) *''The Viceroyalty of Lord Irwin, 1926-1931'', (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957) *''The Viceroyalty of Lord Ripon, 1880-1884'', (London: Oxford University Press, 1957) *''The Permanent Settlement in Bengal and its Result'', (London, G.Allen and Unwin, 1949)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopal, Sarvapalli 1923 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Indian historians Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Children of presidents of India Deaths from kidney failure Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford Historians of South Asia Indian civil servants Jawaharlal Nehru University faculty Madras Christian College alumni People educated at Mill Hill School Place of birth missing Place of death missing Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in literature & education Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English Scholars from Chennai Telugu people University of Madras alumni