In India, 5 September is Teachers’ Day, and the country owes the holiday to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: when he became President in 1962 and his students asked to celebrate his birthday, the philosopher suggested dedicating the date to all teachers instead. This 10-rupee coin of 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September 1888 in Thiruttani. Before entering public life he became a scholar of international standing: from 1936 to 1952 he held the Spalding Chair of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford, served as Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University and then as ambassador to the Soviet Union. He went on to be India’s first Vice President (1952–1962) and second President (1962–1967), and in 1954 received the country’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.

The reverse shows his portrait with the legends «डॉ. एस. राधाकृष्णन की 125 वीं जयंती» and «125TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. S. RADHAKRISHNAN», with the date 2015 and the mint mark below. A collector’s 125-rupee coin was issued for the same anniversary, and the circulating bimetallic piece was also included in proof and UNC sets.

Grade AU-UNC: the coin has seen almost no circulation, with at most light rub on the highest points of the relief and nearly full lustre. For a teachers-themed selection or a collection of Indian presidents, it carries a story that is easy to tell: the man who turned his own birthday into a celebration of teachers.

The VPcoins catalogue features coins from many countries, making it easy to build a collection by geography or by subject.