Dr Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was the first President of India, holding office from 26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962. He is the only President to have served two full terms. Before that he was the President of the Constituent Assembly, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi from the Champaran Satyagraha (1917), and three times President of the Indian National Congress. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1962.
Quick Answer
Born: 3 December 1884, Ziradei, Siwan district (then Saran), Bihar. Died: 28 February 1963, Sadaqat Ashram, Patna. First President of India: 26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962 (provisional from 1950; elected 1952 and re-elected 1957). Constituent Assembly: permanent President from 11 December 1946. Congress President: 1934, 1939 and 1947. Freedom struggle: Champaran (1917), Non-Cooperation, Salt Satyagraha, Quit India. Award: Bharat Ratna (1962). Books: India Divided, Atmakatha, At the Feet of Mahatma Gandhi.
Early Life and Education
- Born at Ziradei in Bihar; his father Mahadev Sahai was a scholar of Persian and Sanskrit.
- Topped the entrance examination of the University of Calcutta and studied at Presidency College, Calcutta.
- Earned an MA in economics and later degrees in law, including a Master of Law (University of Calcutta, 1915) and a doctorate in law (University of Allahabad, 1937).
- Practised law at the Calcutta High Court (1911) and then the Patna High Court (1916).
Role in the Freedom Struggle
| Year | Contribution |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Joined Gandhi in the Champaran Satyagraha for indigo farmers; became one of his closest followers |
| 1920–22 | Gave up his legal practice during Non-Cooperation; founded the Bihar Vidyapeeth (1921) |
| 1930 | Took part in the Salt Satyagraha; imprisoned |
| 1934 | Led relief work after the Bihar–Nepal earthquake; elected Congress President (Bombay session) |
| 1939 | Became Congress President again after Subhas Chandra Bose resigned |
| 1942 | Arrested during Quit India; spent nearly three years in jail |
| 1946 | Minister of Food and Agriculture in the Interim Government |
| 1947 | Congress President for the third time |
President of the Constituent Assembly
On 11 December 1946, Rajendra Prasad was elected the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly (Dr Sachchidananda Sinha was the temporary President). He conducted its debates with patience and impartiality and signed the Constitution on 24 January 1950, when he was also elected the first President of India. He headed the Assembly’s committees on rules of procedure, steering and finance and staff.
As President of India (1950–1962)
- Two terms: elected in 1952 and re-elected in 1957; the only President so far to serve two terms.
- Views on presidential power: he argued in speeches that the President was not merely a figurehead, but accepted that he must act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
- Differences with Nehru: notably over the Hindu Code Bill and his attending the reconstruction ceremony of the Somnath temple (1951).
- Simplicity: he gave up a large part of his salary and lived austerely.
- After retiring in May 1962, he returned to Sadaqat Ashram, Patna, where he died in February 1963.
See the full list in Presidents and Vice-Presidents of India.
Books and Writings
- India Divided (1946), a critique of the case for Partition.
- Atmakatha (autobiography, in Hindi).
- At the Feet of Mahatma Gandhi and Satyagraha in Champaran.
- He also wrote for the nationalist papers Searchlight and Desh.
