Category Our Presidents

               Having been elected to the office of the President of India,  R. Venkataraman was sworn in on July 25th, 1987. He was the eighth President of the Republic of India.

               During his young age, Venkataraman was an activist of the Indian independence movement and participated in the Quit India Movement. He was an integral part of the parliamentary team that re-designed India’s Provincial Parliament during the period between 1950 and 1952. Venkataraman was a very eminent political personality throughout his lifetime.

              He had served as the member of the Constituent Assembly, and as the member of the Lok Sabha. He also served as the Union Finance Minister and Defence Minister. He was elected as the seventh Vice President of India in 1984.

              During his tenure, which concluded on July 25th in 1992, India saw a quick succession of four Prime Ministers – Narasimha Rao, Chandra Shekhar, Rajiv Gandhi, and V.P. Singh.

               Giani Zail Singh was elected to the highest office of the President of India on 15th July, 1982, unanimously and took the oath of office on 25th July, 1982. He succeeded Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as the President of India and held the president-ship for a full term.

               He was known for his lifelong loyalty towards the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His presidency was, however, marked by several controversial events like Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi ordered the army and police force to combat Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Government troops stormed the complex, and killed the militants who had been demanding Khalistan, an independent country for Sikhs.

               Even though some events like Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riot cloued his tenure, some decisions taken by him won him popularity. He refused to sign the Postal Amendment Bill in 1986, which earned him applause from the civil society.

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               Zail Singh had always showed the exceptional qualities of an excellent statesman. During his tenure as the union home minister, Zail Singh made impressive contributions to maintain law and order in the country. He was a tireless crusader against communalism, economic disparities, and social injustice. His way of dealing with communal riots, especially the Assam agitation, was highly lauded by the public.

               His tremendous experience and wisdom as a politician, especially while serving as a minister in PEPSU and as the Chief Minister of Punjab, worked to his advantage. As the Union Home Minister he showed abundant and keen alertness to the numerous problems the nation then faced. His wise actions during the Assam crisis were commendable. He was a real social reformer who always empathized with the downtrodden.

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               Zail Singh was born in a mud house to a humble family in Faridkot district in Punjab, India. His father Kishan Singh was the village carpenter. His mother was Mata Ind Kaur. Singh lost his mother when he was a little boy.

               From a very young age itself, he had showed enthusiasm in reading the Sikh scriptures. Geeta, and Ramayana.

               He was accepted into the Shahid Sikh Missionary College at Amritsar in spite of the fact that he did not have a matriculation certificate. He was actively involved in politics from his teenage days and joined the Shiromani Akali Dal when he was just 15.

               He later joined the Indian National Congress, and took part in the freedom movement. In 1938 he established the Praja Mandal, a political organisation allied to the Congress Party, in Faridkot. This act provoked the maharaja. Zail Singh was imprisoned for five years. He was kept in solitary confinement and was also tortured for his political activities. During his  incarceration, he took the name Zail Singh.

            Giani Zail Singh, who served as the seventh President of the Republic of India, was the first Sikh to serve in this post. He held office from 1982 to 1987. His original name was Jarnail Singh.

            After India became independent, he was appointed as the Revenue Minister of the recently formed Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). In the 1972 Punjab Assembly elections, Giani Zail Singh became the Chief Minister of Punjab. His work for the people of Punjab was impressive.

            A freedom fighter himself, he arranged for a lifelong pension scheme for the freedom fighters of Punjab. Prior to his presidency, he had held several ministerial posts in the union cabinet, including that of Home Minister. He was elected as President in 1982. However, his presidency was marred by several controversial issues like Operation Blue Star and anti-Sikh riots, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. He faced a very difficult time after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in October 1984, after which her son Rajiv Gandhi was appointed Prime Minister.

            He met with an accident in 1994, and was seriously injured. He died on 25th December 1994.

               Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was a veteran statesman and administrator. He held many eminent positions in public life both before, and after independence. Reddy was elected as the President on 21st July, 1977. He had sworn in as the sixth President of India on 25th July, 1977. He was the only candidate to have contested twice in the presidential race, once in 1969 against V.V. Giri, and then in 1977. When he was nominated for the presidency in 1969 by the Congress Party, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in a divisive move, supported V.V. Giri, who won.

               As the President, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy visited many states in India. He also visited many foreign lands during his term as the President, including the USSR, Bulgaria, Kenya, Zambia, the UK, Ireland, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Yugoslavia. Reddy worked with three governments, with Prime Ministers Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Indira Gandhi.

              Reddy authored the book – ‘Without Fear or Favour: Reminiscences and Reflections of a President’. It was published in 1989. Reddy died in 1996 at the age of 83. His samadhi is at Kallahalli, near Bangalore.