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Dr Sarvepalli Gopal, historian and son of former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, died of renal failure in Chennai on Saturday.
Gopal, 79, is survived by wife. The funeral will take place in Chennai on Sunday.
Famous for his three-volume biography of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the septuagenarian was a man of conviction and deep thinking. His reconstruction of history was interpretative, not always documentative. With the result that the insight that he provided on historical subjects, including the Ayodhya issue, where he took a 'secularist' stand, were insightful and informative at the same time.
Gopal started his career by teaching history at the Andhra University, Waltair. Later, he moved to St Anthony's College, Oxford, before returning to India to join the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
He had returned to live in his father's home, 'Girija', in Chennai a decade ago.
While his father went on to become part of contemporary India's political history, Gopal was content with recording and viewing it from the sidelines as a concerned and educated observer.
Gopal received the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second highest civilian award, in 1999.
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