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Dr. Rajendra Prasad the first President of India was born December 3, 1884 at Zeradei in Siwan district of Bihar state. He was an Indian politician, lawyer, and journalist. He became the first president of the Republic of India from 1950 to 1962). He was a comrade of Mahatma Gandhi early in the noncooperation movement in struggle of India independence. He perform many important portfolios in his life. Like he was the president of the Indian National Congress, President of constituent assembly and many more which we will discuss in the blog so stay with the blog.
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Dr. Shri Rajendra Prasad served as the first president of India from 1952 to 1962 and he became the first President of India who completed his two terms successfully.
He was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement and became a major leader from the region of Bihar, and within no time he became a renowned freedom activities and also went jail in 1930 and 1942.
In the election of the constituent assembly 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad elected and served as 1st Minister of Food and Agriculture in the government. After independence in 1947, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President of the Constituent Assembly of India and worked to prepare the Constitution of India that time the Constituent Assembly had served as its provisional Parliament of India.
In the year 1950 when India became a republic, Dr, Rajendra Prasad had elected as its first President of Independent India by the Constituent Assembly and in the year 1957 Dr. Rajendra Prasad was re-elected to the presidency and becoming the only president to serve two full terms. Dr. Rajendra Prasad stayed in office for the longest term of around 12 years. He was awarded with Bharat Ratna in the year 1962.
He died on February 28, 1963 at Patna Bihar, India. The cause of his death was Heart Attack. The Bihar The Rajendra Smriti Sangrahalaya is dedicated to him. It is a museum dedicated to The First President of India “Dr. Rajender Prasad”. This museum has a big collection of his personal belongings like pens, specs, clothes, books, watches etc. It even houses some exotic gifts which he got in his presidential tenor.
The childhood life of Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Dr, Rajendra Prasad was born on 3 December 1884 in Ziradei, district Siwan, Bihar. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the sone of Shri Mahadev Sahai and Kamleshwari Devi. His father was a scholar of both Sanskrit and Persian languages and his mother was a devout woman. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the youngest child in their family. He had one elder brother and three elder sisters. His mother died when he was a child, and his elder sister then took care of him. At the age of 12 years in June 1896, he got married to Rajavanshi Devi.
Student life of Dr. Rajendra Prasad
– His traditional elementary education was completed in his hometown.
– He had completed his school education from District School Chhapra Bihar and also he studied for the period of two years at T.K. Ghosh Academy in Patna.
– He was awarded Rs 30 per month as a scholarship when he secured first position in the entrance examination of the University of Calcutta.
– He passed his graduation with first division from Presidency College under the University of Calcutta in March 1905.
– It is notable that once an examiner had commented on his answer sheet that the “examinee is better than examiner” by impressed with his intellect.
– Initially he was an science student by later he decided to focus on the study of arts and did his M.A. in Economics with a first division from the University of Calcutta in December 1907.
– He was a devoted student but slowly slowly he became a public activist and also became an active member of “The Dawn Society”.
– In the year 1906 Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the founding member for the formation of the Bihari Students Conference.
– Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Krishna Singh who played a prominent role in the Champaran Movement and Non-cooperation Movement were the leaders born from the Bihari Students Conference .
Overview on the Career of Dr. Rajendra Prasad
As a Teacher
He started his career as a teacher. When he came back to his hometown after completion his M.A degree in economics he served as a teacher in various educational institutions and became a professor of English at the Langat Singh College of Muzaffarpur in Bihar and went upto the post of Principal.
Now that was the time when he want to study law, he left his principal job to undertake legal studies and entered the Ripon College, Calcutta.
He also worked as Professor of Economics at Calcutta City College in 1909 during pursuing his law studies in Kolkata.
As a lawyer
After completion his Bachelor degree of law he appeared in the examination of masters in law from the Department of Law, University of Calcutta in the year 1915.
He passed the examination and won a gold medal.
He completed his Doctorate in Law from Allahabad University.
He joined the High Court of Bihar and Odisha in the year 1916.
In the year 1917 he was appointed as Senate and one of the first members of the Patna University.
The affective social work done by Dr. Rajendra Prasad
In support of the call of Shri Mahatma Gandhi to boycott Western educational establishments he founded Bihar Vidyapeeth an institution to support the traditional Indian education model along with the support of his colleagues.
He took an active role in helping people affected by floods that struck Bihar and Bengal in the year 1914.
In the year 1934 he set up Bihar Central Relief Committee and took on the task of raising funds to help the affected people from the earthquake affected of Bihar.
In the year 1935 when Quetta was affected with earthquake and he was forbidden to leave the country due to government’s order. He set up the Quetta Central Relief Committee in Sindh and Punjab under his own presidency.
Role as a freedom fighter freedom Movement
Dr. Rajendra Prasad had played a major role in the Independence Movement.
– He started his political career as a volunteer during the annual session of Indian National Congress which was organised in Calcutta in the year 1906.
– Formally he joined the Indian National Congress in the year 1911, when the annual session INC was held in Calcutta again.
– He met Mahatma Gandhi during the Lucknow Session of Indian National Congress held in the year 1916 and Mahatma Gandhi asked his join as a volunteer of team of the fact-finding missions at Champaran.
– He was so greatly moved by the dedication, courage and conviction of Mahatma Gandhi that as soon as the motion of Non-Cooperation was passed by Indian National Congress in the year 1920.
– He took retirement from his lucrative career of lawyer as well as his duties in the university after he impressed with the dedication, courage and conviction of Mahatma Gandhi when Indian National Congress passed the motion of Non-Cooperation in the year 1920.
– In support of the call of Shri Mahatma Gandhi to boycott Western educational establishments he along with his friends established Bihar Vidyapeeth and asked his son, Mrityunjaya Prasad, to drop out of his studies and enroll himself in Bihar Vidyapeeth.
– He wrote articles with the revolutionary publications such as “Searchlight” and “The Desh” for the collection of funds.
– He toured throughout the country for explaining, lecturing, and exhorting the principles of the independence movement.
– In the year 1934 during the Bombay session he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress.
– In the year 1939 when Subhash Chandra Bose resigned from the presidentship of INC he once again elected as the president of INC.
– In the year 1942 when Congress passed the Quit India Resolution in their Bombay session which led to the arrest of many Indian leaders and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was also arrested in Sadaqat Ashram, Patna and sent to Bankipur Central Jail.
– After the formation of Interim Government of 12 nominated ministers under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1946 and he was allocated the Food and Agriculture department.
– He was elected as the President of Constituent Assembly in the year 1946.
– In the year 1947 he became president of INC for a third time when J. B. Kripalani resined from the post of presidentship.
Presidential period of Dr. Rajendra Prasad
– As we know that the Constitution of independent India was ratified on 26 January 1950 after two and a half years got independence and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India.
– As the Constitution of India treated as the position of the President of the country is independent of all political parties and Dr. Rajendra Prasad duly acted as required by the Constitution.
– He travelled the world extensively as an ambassador of India for building diplomatic rapport with foreign nations.
– In the year 1952 when the general election had completed and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was re-elected as the President of India by the election process prescribed by the constitution and was at their office upto the year 1962.
– He is the only president of India who hold the office for two complete terms. He has a record to hold the office of President of India for 12 years.
– The Mughal Garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan (renamed Amrit Udyan on January 28, 2023) was opened to the public for about a month for the first time during his tenure and this tradition still continues.
– Dr. Rajendra Prasad acted independently of political parties, following the expected role of the president as required by the constitution. Following the tussle over the enactment of the Hindu Code Bill, he took a more active role in state affairs.
– After serving 12 years as the President of India he announced his decision to retire in the year 1962. After relinquishing the office of the President of India in May 1962, he returned to Patna and stayed in the campus of Bihar Vidyapeeth.
Awards and Honours
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was awarded with Bharat Ratna in the year 1962.
Short Documentary Film
Director Manjul Prabhat released a short documentary film in the year 1980 with the name “Babu Rajendra Prasad” which was produced by the Films Division of India which covers the life story of the first President of India.
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All the best for a bright future.