Tzannis Tzannetakis, (born: 1927), a former Prime Minister of Greece, is unmistakably a versatile personality, eminently combining in him the gifts of a parliamentarian, an administrator, a social activist, an art-lover, and a scholar. Essentially a humanist with inwrought democratic values, he relinquished his promising career in the Greek Navy, in 1967, in protest against the military dictatorship. And for this action of his, he suffered both imprisonment and exile. With the return of democracy in 1974, he entered politics — which, over the years, has seen him in a succession of key positions, like Minister of Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and then, finally, Prime Minister in the coalition Conservative and Left government in 1989.

Besides his involvement with the restoration of old traditional villages in Greece and cultural activities of various descriptions, Mr. Tzannetakis has also authored/translated a number of books — including his Greek translations of several Upanishads, which have been published together with his introduction and commentary.