Category Civics

Who was the Fourth president of India?

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 aw

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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Who was the philosopher President of India?

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967)

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, legendary teacher and philosopher, was India’s second president. He served in office from 1962-1967. He was also the first vice president of India. It was after serving two terms as vice president that he was elected as the president. He was one of India’s most distinguished twentieth-century scholars of comparative religion and philosophy.

He was born in Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu on 5th September 1888 into a poor brahmin family. It was difficult for his father to educate him. Radhakrishnan was awarded scholarships throughout his academic life. He completed his BA and MA in philosophy from Madras Christian College. He later worked as a professor in many of the prestigious universities such as the University of Mysore and Banaras Hindu University. He was very popular among his students.

He entered his political career rather late. In 1931, he was nominated to the League of Nations Committee for Intellectual Cooperation. When India became independent in 1947, he represented the nation at the UNESCO from 1946 to 1952 and was later Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, from 1949 to 1952.

Dr. Radhakrishnan was elected as the first vice president of India in 1952, and elected as the second president of India in 1962.

He authored many books. Some among his major philosophical works were Indian Philosophy, The Hindu View of Life and An Idealist View of Life. His birthday, which falls on 5th September, is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in India since 1962. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1954.

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Who was the first present president of India?

Dr. Rajendra Prasad (26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962)

Dr. Rajendra Prasad served as the first president of independent India. He was the only Indian president to serve two full terms, from 1950 to 1962. As the first president, he set himself as a strong example for others to follow. A lawyer by profession, he had been an influential leader during the Indian freedom struggle.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was born in Zeradai, in Bihar on 3rd December 1884. He was very good at his studies. In 1915, he graduated with honours with a Master’s degree in law, winning a gold medal. In 1937, he completed his doctorate in law from the Allahabad University.

Rajendra Prasad joined the Indian National Congress in 1911. He was arrested for his support of the Salt Satyagraha Movement of 1931, and the Quit India Movement of 1942. In September 1946, he became the Minister for Food and Agriculture in the interim government preceding full independence. From 1946 to 1949, he presided over the Indian Constituent Assembly, and helped to shape the constitution. He retired from public life in 1962, after serving two terms as the President of India for 12 years, because of his deteriorating health. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award in 1962.

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What is PURA?

The idea of this programme is to create economic opportunities in rural areas by supplying urban infrastructure and services. It is a Rural Development Programme suggested by Dr. Kalam in ‘Target 3 Billion’ to develop India.

The origins of PURA can be traced in the work done by Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute in the early 1990s on energy self-sufficiency at the taluka level.

First Dr. Kalam insists on building good roads in rural areas for physical connectivity. Then, electronic connectivity by way of communication networks. Finally, he recommends knowledge connectivity through setting up professional and technical institutions.

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A HARBINGER OF CHANGE

Dr BR Ambedkar is one of the most luminous figures of modern Indian history and the principal architect of our constitution. He endeavoured to build a new social order based on the democratic ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. Let us look back at one of his most iconic speeches at the Constituent Assembly.

On November 24, 1949, B. R. Ambedkar presented his concluding remarks on the adoption of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly. His address recalled the detailed discussions and deliberations on fundamental rights, union powers, and upliftment of minorities that laid the foundation of our Constitution’s legal framework. But what makes this speech significant in present-day’s political environment is its orators prophetic predictions of the factors that threaten India’s political identity as a socialist democracy.

The quest of the hour Even at the helm of liberty, what crippled Ambedkars mind with anxiety was the thought of the stronghold ideals of caste and creed had on the average citizen. Recalling past incidents like the invasion of Sind by Mahommed-Bin-Kasim, he elaborated on how India had once before lost its independence to the treachery of its people and the rise of new political parties that possess diverse and opposing political standing can cause history to repeat itself.

He declared that the day politicians choose creed over the country, the purpose of democracy will be defeated.

Therefore, the quest of the hour was to ensure that proper measures are taken to enforce and safeguard equality, liberty and fraternity as a nascent nation moved forward

Abandon the grammar of anarchy

In his address to the constituent assembly, Ambedkar implored to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving social and economic objectives and abandon methods of rebellion like civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. According to him, in a society that is built on good well and justice and is governed by leaders elected by the people there is no valid justification to employ unsanctioned methods of rebellion.

Dangers of hero-worship Calling Bhakti culture or Hero-worship a sure road to degradation and eventual dictatorship, he said “There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered lifelong services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness… With independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame. Except ourselves…If we wish to preserve the Constitution…let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie across our path…nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them. That is the only way to serve the country. I know of no better.” (excerpt from the speech)

Key takeaways from the speech

1. Equality, liberty and fraternity are the foundations of our constitution.

2. Blind faith in any entity or individual is an enemy of the truth.

3. A good citizen understands the responsibility that comes with freedom.

DID YOU KNOW?

  1. Dr Ambedkar was the first law minister of Independent India
  2. Ambedkar’s 20-page autobiography titled “Waiting for a Visa” is part of Columbia University’s curriculum.
  3. Ambedkar was the first member of the backward classes to become a lawyer.
  4. Ambedkar was the first and only Satyagrahi to conduct “Satyagraha for drinking water”. Ambedkar had master’s degrees in around 64 subjects and was the first Indian to obtain a doctorate in Economics from a foreign university.

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