A teacher of philosophy at Mysore, Calcutta, and Oxford universities, he introduced some of the main ideas of classical Indian philosophy to the West. Major works include Indian Philosophy (1923–27) and Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939). Radhakrishnan was Indian ambassador to the Soviet Union (1949–52) before returning to India in 1952 to become Vice-President under Nehru; he was elected President ten years later.