Thursday 19 July 2018

First President of India- Dr. Rajendra Prasad

✎ Dr. Rajendra Prasad was Kayastha Hindu and was born on 3rd December, 1884 in Zeradai, in the Siwan district of Bihar, Patna, India.His political life was from 1950-1962.
✎ He was Indian political leader and also lawyer by training. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award. After the completion of traditional elementary education, he was sent to Chapra district school and at age of 12 he was married to Rajavanshi Devi but after marriage also he did not left his studies. Before independence, he has served as minister of food and agriculture in the central government but afterwards he was elected as president of the constituent assembly of India which prepared the constitution of India and served as its provisional parliament. His first association with Indian National Congress was during 1906 where he participated as a volunteer, while studying in Calcutta. 
✎ He was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and for this he was imprisoned by British authorities during Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and Quit India Movement of 1942. He was so greatly moved by the dedication, courage and conviction of Mahatma Gandhi that he retired from his lucrative career of lawyer as well as duties in University to aid the movement. As a president, he established a tradition of non- partisanship and independence for the office-bearer and retired from Congress party politics. When Congress passed the Quit India Resolution in Bombay, then he was arrested from Sadaqat Ashram, Patna and sent to Bankipur central jail. He also encouraged the development of education in India.He wrote articles for the revolutionary publications Searchlight and the Desh and collected funds for these papers.
✎ He took an active role in helping the affected people during 1914 floods that struck Bihar and Bengal.During 31st May 1935 Quetta earthquake, when he was forbidden to leave the country due to governments order he set up Quetta Central relief committee in Sindh and Punjab under his own presidency.He travelled the world extensively as an ambassador of India, build diplomatic rapport with foreign nations.During his tenure, the Mughal Gardens for the first time at Rashtrapati Bhavan were open for public for about one month.Following the tussle over the enactment of the Hindu Code Bill, he took a more active role in state affairs.
✎ After 12 years as president in 1962 he announced his decision of retirement and after relinquishing the office of the President of India he returned to Patna on 14 May, 1962 and preferred to stay in the campus of Bihar Vidhyapeeth.
His Literary Contributions:
President of Constituent Assembly
Satyagraha at Champaran (1922)
Division of India (1946, online)
Atmakatha (1946), his autobiography written during his 3-year term in Bankipur Jail.
Mahatma Gandhi and Bihar, some reminiscence (1949)
Bapu ke kadmon mein (1954)
Since Independence (published in 1960)
Bharatiya Siksha

At the feet of Mahatma Gandhi

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