Category Politics & Parliaments

R. Venkataraman (25July 1987 – 25 July 1992)

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 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. Venkataraman was a very eminent political personality throughout his lifetime.

R. Venkataraman was born on 4th December, 1910, in Rajamadam, Tamil Nadu. He did his under graduation in National College, Tiruchirappalli. Venkataraman obtained his Masters degree in Economics from Loyola College, Madras. He later, became a lawyer.

Venkataraman had actively participated in the Indian Independence movement. After independence he had served as the union finance minister and defence minister. He initiated India’s first missile programme. He was elected as the seventh vice president of India in 1984 and later, in July 1987, he was sworn in as the 8th President of India, serving till 1992.

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Giani Zail Singh (25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987)

Giani Zail Singh, who served as the seventh President of India, was the first Sikh to serve in the post. He held office from 1982 to 1987. His original name was Jarnail Singh. Zail Singh earned the title ‘Giani,’ which means ‘a learned person’, as he was well versed in Sikh doctrines.

Zail Singh was born in a mud house to a humble family in Faridkot district in Punjab. From a very young age he had shown enthusiasm in reading Sikh scriptures, Bhagavad Geeta and Ramayana. He later joined the Indian National Congress and took part in the freedom movement.

After India became independent, he was appointed as the revenue minister of the recently formed Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). In 1972 he became the chief minister of Punjab. A freedom fighter himself, his work for the people of Punjab was impressive. Prior to his presidency, he had held several ministerial posts in the union cabinet, including that of home minister.

He was elected as the President of India on 25th July 1982 and remained in office till 25th July 1987. Even though some events like Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh riots coloured his tenure, some decisions 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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Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982)

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the sixth President of India. He held the office from 1977 to 1982. He was a veteran statesman and administrator. He was also the first to be elected unopposed. Reddy was 64 when he was elected as the youngest President of India. He proved his humbleness through two notable gestures; one was renouncing the residency at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the other was to allow a 70 per cent cut in his salary, considering the poor economic condition of the nation in 1977.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was born in a peasant family at Illuri village in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on 19th May 1913. Sanjiva Reddy had his early education at the Theosophical High School at Adyar in Madras. Even though he joined the Arts College at Anantapur for graduation, young Reddy gave up studies to take part in the freedom movement. He was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1931 he joined the Indian National Congress. He participated in a student satyagraha, which brought him into the limelight. He was jailed for participating in the Quit India Movement.

After independence, he became a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1947. He later became a member of the Rajya Sabha. He also served as the president of the Indian National Congress from 1959 to 1962. Subsequently he served as Union Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, from January 1966 to March 1967 in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Hindupur constituency. He was chosen as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha on March 17th, 1967. This won him immense recognition. He served his term with such dedication and passion that he is remembered as the best ever Lok Sabha Speaker.

He became the first chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in 1956. Reddy was elected as the President on 21st July, 1977 and was sworn in on 25th July. He was the only candidate to have contested twice in the presidential race, one in 1969 against V.V. Girl, and then in 1977.

As the President, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy visited many states in India. He also visited many foreign lands during his term as the President like the U.S.S.R, Bulgaria, Zambia, U.K, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka etc. Reddy worked with three 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. He died in 1996 at the age of 83. His samadhi is at Kallahalli, near Bangalore.

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Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977)

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the fifth President of India, in office from 1974 to 1977. He had keen interest in many fields such as music, fine arts, poetry and sports. He was the second President of India to die in office.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born on 13th May 1905, at the Hauz Qazi area of Old Delhi. He attended St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, England. He met Jawaharlal Nehru in England in 1925. Nehru’s progressive ideas influenced him very much. At Nehru’s request, he joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the Indian freedom struggle.

He was a member of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee from 1936. He was later appointed the Minister for Finance, Revenue and Labour in Assam. In 1942, he supported the Quit India Movement, for which he was arrested.

After India gained independence, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1952. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967 and again in 1971.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was picked for the presidency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Thus in 1974, he became the President of India. He is known to have issued the proclamation of the Emergency by signing the papers at midnight, during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as the prime minister.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s tenure in the office was cut short by his sudden demise due to a heart attack which he suffered on his return from a tour of the Southeast Asian countries only a day before. He died on 11th February, 1977.

Though politics was his forte, he always showed keen interest in sports and many extracurricular activities. He was an excellent tennis player and golfer. In April 1967, he was elected as the president of the All India Cricket Association.

Though he was basically a sports enthusiast, he had excellent taste in music and fine arts too. He enjoyed the poetry of Mirza Ghalib. A medical college, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College, has been named after him at Barpeta in Assam.

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V.V. Giri (24 August 1969 – 24 August 1974)

After the death of Dr. Zakir Husain, V.V. Giri became the first ever Acting President of India in 1969. On 20th July 1969, he resigned from the post of Acting President to contest election as an independent candidate. He won the election and held office for a full term of five years from 24th August 1969, to 24th August 1974. He became the only person to be elected as an independent candidate.

He was born in Behrampur in the present Ganjam district of Odisha on 10th August 1894. He completed his initial education at the Khallikote College in Behrampur. In 1913, he went to Ireland to study law at the University College, Dublin. The same year Giri met Gandhiji who influenced him greatly. He didn’t complete his law degree in Ireland and came back to India.

Upon returning to India, he became a member of the Congress party. In 1926, he was elected as the president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). In 1942, he was imprisoned for participating in the Quit India Movement.

In May 1967, he was elected as the third vice president of India and remained in office for the next two years. Then, after the death of Dr. Zakir Husain he became the president. Giri was the first vice president not to complete his full term in office, on account of being elevated to the office of the president and was the third vice president to be elected to the presidency.

His memoir My Life and Times is a very famous book.

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Dr. Zakir Husain (13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969)

Dr. Zakir Husain was the third President of India. He was a freedom fighter and educational reformer. He was the first President to die in office. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1963.

Dr. Zakir Husain was born on 8th February 1897, in Hyderabad. He completed his graduation from Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College, which is now popularly known by the name of Aligarh Muslim University. He later received his doctorate in economics from the Frederick William University of Berlin. In 1927, he took over as the head of the Jamia Milia Islamia University. In 1948, he became the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. In 1956, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. However, just after a year he was appointed as the Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962.

He became the President of India in 1967 but could only occupy the position for a period of two years from 13th May 1967 until his death on 3rd May, 1969. He was buried at the campus of the Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi.

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