President Of India
Political party-Indian National Congress
Born On: August 19, 1918
Born In: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Died On: December 26, 1999
Career: Indian Politician, Teacher
Nationality: Indian
Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma was the ninth President of India, serving from 1992 to 1997. But his contribution to India has been much more than that. He was a scholar, holding an extraordinary portfolio of educational qualifications. He was also a journalist and wrote on diverse topics, from history to literature, philosophy to comparative religions, and many more articles. Additionally, he was also a renowned freedom fighter, actively involved in the Indian Freedom Movement and took part in various campaigns. Furthermore, he was a dedicated politician, handled many portfolios including education, law, public works etc and held many high positions in Indian politics before he was made the President. The respect he had earned during his lifetime rightly got him many honors and honorable positions. The following part will throw more light on the life and political career of Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma and on the honors that he received.
Early Life
Shankar Dayal Sharma was born on 19th August 1918 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh to father Khushilal Sharma and mother Subhadra Sharma. He received his education from various institutions. Starting with St. John's College, he then got educated at Agra College after which he studied at Allahabad University. He obtained L.L.M from Lucknow University, and obtained his Ph D in Law from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. Later on he was awarded with a Diploma in Public Administration from London University. If this wasn't enough, he also taught law at Lucknow University for 9 years and later at Cambridge University. Sharma was a Bar-at-Law from Lincoln's Inn and even became a Fellow of the Harvard Law School. Not only was he good in studies, but he even excelled as a sportsman in athletics, rowing, and swimming. He even tried his hand in journalism by writing on diverse topics such as history, art & culture, philosophy, poetry, literature, and comparative religions. Quite a few of his publications, editorial assignments, articles, and addresses got recognition. At the time he was studying and teaching, he was actively involved in India's Freedom Movement against the British.
Political Career
Sharma's political career started during the 1940s when he patriotically involved himself in the Indian freedom movement by participating in the historic Quit India Movement of 1942, initiated because of Mahatma Gandhi's call for immediate independence. It was around the same time when he joined the Indian National Congress, a party under which he fought and was elected many times at numerous positions and remained faithful to it till the very end. It was from 1950 to 1952 that he served as the president of the Bhopal Congress Committee and in the very same year was made the Chief Minister of Bhopal, where he served till the year 1956. It was as the Chief Minister of Bhopal that he put all his efforts to abolish the the jagirdar system prevalent in India.
From the year 1956 to 1971, he remained a member of the Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly. All in between the years he supported Indira Gandhi's efforts to gain leadership of the congress party. In 1959, when UNESCO conference for the primary and secondary education was held at Karachi, he was the leader of the Indian Delegation. With short stints in quick successions, from being the President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee to being the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress and by further serving as the President of the Indian National Congress; it was finally in the year 1974 that he was made the Union Minister for Communications under the leadership of Indira Gandhi and served till 1977.
Again, with short stints as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra in 1984, 1985, and 1986 respectively; Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma proved his credentials as a qualified politician and a leader. In the year 1987, he became the eighth Vice President of India and was also made the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. He served as the Vice President of India for a five-year long term till 1992, when he took over the proceedings from Ramaswamy Venkataraman and was made the ninth President of India. During his stay as the President of India, it was his responsibility to swear in three Prime Ministers and was actively involved in the ceremonial matters. However, because of poor health, he not run for the next term of Presidency.
Honors and Honorable Positions
The Shankaracharya of Sringeri bestowed Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma with the title of Rashtra Ratnam. Another prestigious title of Dharmaratnakara was conferred upon him by the Pontiff of Shravanbelagola. For his striking contribution to the the legal profession and its obeisance, he was presented with 'The Living Legends of Law' award from the International Bar Association. Sharma also held numerous honorable positions such as the President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, President of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Chairman of the Jury for Jawahar Lal Nehru Award for International Understanding, and Chairman of the International Jury for Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and development.
Death
Ill health had got the better of Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma and during the last five years, it made life difficult for him. It was on 26th December, 1999 that Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma died of a major heart attack in New Delhi and was cremated at Karma Bhumi near Vijay Ghat.
Political party-Independent
Born On: October 27, 1920
Born In: Perumthanam, Travancore, Kerala
Died On: November 9, 2005
Career: Lecturer, Political Leader
Nationality: Indian
K.R. Narayanan's biography is a story that effectively illustrates hard work and talent brings success even in adversity. Despite been born in an extremely poor and Dalit family, Narayanan struggled and overcame several obstacles to receive education and gain a good job. It was his dedication and devotion for the social welfare of the nation that declared him as the tenth President of India. The only Dalit and only Malayali to have held the post of presidency, Narayanan described himself as a citizen President and a working President. As such, he set a benchmark between an executive President who has been assigned with direct power and a rubber-stamp President who simply endorses government orders without questioning or deliberation. He was regarded as the best diplomat of the country by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955.
Childhood & Early Life
K.R. Narayanan was born as Kocheril Raman Narayanan in a small thatched hut in the village of Uzhavoor in Perumthanam in Travancore in the present Kottayam district of Kerala state. He was born as the fourth of seven children to Kocheril Raman Vaidyar and Punnaththuraveettil Paappiyamma. His family was extremely poor and belonged to the Paravan caste, who were required to pluck coconuts according to the caste system. However, his father was highly respected since he was a learned physician of traditional Indian medical systems of Siddha and Ayurveda.
Educational Background
Narayanan attained his early formal education at Government Lower Primary School at Kurichithanam in 1927 and later went to Our Lady of Lourdes Upper Primary School at Uzhavoor from 1931-35. Due to his family's weak financial status, Narayanan walked 10-15 km daily to reach school through paddy fields. And often, he attended his lectures by standing outside the class due to his inability to pay the school fees on time. His brother, K.R. Neelakantan who was confined to home due to asthma helped Narayanan with his studies by borrowing books and copying down notes for him. Narayanan went to St. John's High School, Koothattukulam from 1935-36 and later matriculated from St. Mary's High School, Kuravilangad in 1937. He completed his intermediate studies from CMS College, Kottayam in 1940 through the support of a merit scholarship. In 1943, he attained his BA (Hons) and MA degrees in Literature from University of Travancore (now University of Kerala), with first position in the university. With this, be came the first Dalit to complete his degree with first class. However, he refused to accept the degree and job offered by the college since he belonged to a lower caste.
With a meritorious result in hand, Narayanan set out to Delhi to pursue a career but due to the poor conditions went back home. He worked as a journalist for The Hindu and The Times of India from 1944-45, but was keen on studying abroad. During this period, he even interviewed Mahatma Gandhi in Bombay on 10th April 1945. However, the fees demanded were extremely high, particularly for a guy like Narayanan, and there were no scopes for scholarships during those days. As such, he wrote a letter to JRD Tata requesting him to support with his financial needs. Tata came to his rescue and Narayanan traveled to London to study political science at the prestigious London School of Economics in 1945. He was honored to study under the guidance of renowned scholar Harold Laski. He took active participation in the India League under V.V. Krishna Menon. He served as the London correspondent of Social Welfare Weekly that was published by K.M. Munshi. He was fortunate to share his room with K.N. Raj and Veeraswamy Ringadoo (who became the first President of Mauritius). He even befriended Pierre Trudeau who later became the Prime Minister of Canada.
Diplomatic & Academician Career
On his attainment of B.Sc (Hons) in Economics with specialization in political science, Narayanan returned to India in 1948. His professor, Laski gave a letter of introduction addressed to Jawaharlal Nehru, following which Nehru interviewed Narayanan for full 20 minutes. He was offered a job in Indian Foreign Service (IFS) which he joined in 1949 and went to Burma. Here, he was allocated with some interesting assignments, serving as a diplomat in embassies of Rangoon, Tokyo, London, Canberra, and Hanoi. He even worked as the Indian ambassador to Thailand (1967-69), Turkey (1973-75), and People's Republic of China (1976-78). During his tenure in IFS, Narayanan taught at Delhi School of Economics in 1954, served as Jawaharlal Nehru fellow from 1970-72, and became as the secretary to the Minister of External Affairs in 1976. On his retirement from IFS in 1978, he became the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1979 until 1980. However, he was offered by the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to serve as Indian ambassador to United States of America from 1980-84.
Political Career
On request from Indira Gandhi, Narayanan joined politics in 1984 and served as a member of Lok Sabha from Ottapalam constituency in Kerala on three consecutive terms in 1984, 1989, and 1991. He fought elections from a Congress ticket. Later in 1985, he became the Minister of State in the Union Cabinet under Rajiv Gandhi and looked after Planning portfolio in 1985, External Affairs in 1985-86, and Science and Technology in 1986-89. He fought elections from the opposition party when Congress was overthrown during 1989-91 and was not included in the Congress cabinet when it came to power again in 1991 because he was regarded as a Communist fellow-traveler. However, on the proposal of the then leader of Janata Dal party V.P. Singh, Narayanan was elected as the ninth Vice President of India on August 21, 1992, under presidency of Shankar Dayal Sharma. He served his entire 5-year term from 1992 to 1997. He described the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992 as the greatest tragedy India has faced since the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Tenure as President
On his successful completion of the post of Vice President, Narayanan graduated towards becoming the President of India on July 25, 1997, with 95% votes in his favor. With this, Narayanan became the first Dalit and first Malayali to be sworn as President of India. It was during his tenure that India completed 50 years of independence and celebrated the Golden Jubilee. With the onset of general elections in 1998, Narayanan became the first sitting President to cast his vote from a polling booth in the Rashtrapati Bhavan by standing in a queue just like any other ordinary citizen. By doing so, he set another new precedent that no Indian president had ever done.
Social and Economic Crisis
During his presidency, Narayanan emphasized on improving the conditions of Dalits and Adivasis, minorities, and poor and downtrodden through his endless speeches. He focused on the upliftment of social ills and evils, such as atrocities against women and children, caste discrimination, abuse of environment and public utilities, corruption and lack of accountability in the delivery of public services, religious fundamentalism, advertisement-driven consumerism, and flouting of human rights. With several experiences and examples from his home state Kerala, he encouraged increase in education for the betterment of human and economic development.
Life Post Retirement
After Narayanan's retirement from presidency, he and his wife spent the rest of their lives in a Delhi bungalow on Prithviraj Road. He lent his entire support towards the alternative globalization movement through the World Social Forum (WSF), held in Mumbai on January 21, 2004. He dedicated his ancestral home in Uzhavoor to Santhigiri Ashram in Pothencode for establishing Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru Research Centre for Siddha and Ayurveda. As such, this proved to be Narayanan's last visit to his hometown.
K.R. Narayanan Foundation
The K.R. Narayanan Foundation (KRNF) was established in December 2005 in the loving memory of Narayanan. The foundation was set up with the mission of improving the conditions of most suppressed sections of Kerala, including women, children, disable persons, aged, and other disadvantaged groups. The organization works on providing these groups with educational training, protecting their health and environment, improving their living conditions, and strengthening their family and community. The foundation has been working on a documentary on the life of Narayanan titled The Footprints of Survival, in his honor. Directed by senior journalist Sunny Joseph, the script of the documentary is based on the biography penned by Eby J. Jose, the General Secretary of KRNF. The documentary shall be published in both English and Malayalam.
Personal Life
During his job in Rangoon, Burma, Narayanan met Ma Tint Tint, an activist in YWCA. Since Ma Tint Tint was a foreigner and Narayanan an IFS, he required a special dispensation from Nehru as per the Indian law to marry a foreigner. The two got married on June 8, 1951 in Delhi. Ma Tint Tint adopted the name Usha and became an Indian citizen. Along with Narayanan, Usha worked on several social welfare programs for women and children. She is the only woman of foreign origin to become the First Lady in India. The couple had two daughters, Chitra and Amrita.
Death
Narayanan fell ill with pneumonia and consequent renal failure during his older days. He breathed his last on November 9, 2005 at Army Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi. He was 85 years old then. He was bid adieu with full honor and respect and was cremated at Ekta Sthal on the banks of River Yamuna, next to the memorial of his mentor Jawaharlal Nehru, Shanti Van. His last rites were carried out by his nephew Dr. P.V. Ramachandran. He was paid a silent salute by the villagers of Uzhavoor who marched to his ancestral home as part of reverent homage.
Political party-Independent
Bharat Ratna Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, generally known as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was the 11th President of India (2002-07). He was elected against Lakshmi Sehgal in 2002 and had support from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, the two leading parties of Indian politics. By profession he is a scientist and administrator in India. He worked with Indian Space Research Organisation and Defense Research and Development Organisation as an aerospace engineer before becoming the President of India. His work on the development of launch vehicle and ballistic missile technology has earned him the name of the Missile Man of India. The Pokhran-II nuclear tests conducted in India in 1998 after the age-long original nuclear test of 1974 saw him in a pivotal political, organizational and technical role.
At present Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Indore; the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad; and the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong. He is a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the JSS University in Mysore and at the Anna University in Chennai, apart from being an adjunct and visiting faculty at other research and academic institutions in India. He is the honorary fellow of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram.
In his book India 2020, he has recommended plans to make the nation a fully developed one by the year 2020. His interaction with the student community and his motivational speeches have made him quite popular among the youth. In 2011 he launched a mission called 'What Can I Give Movement' aimed at the youth of India, which focused on defeating corruption in the country.
Detailed personal background
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born to a poor Tamil Muslim family on 15 October 1931 at Rameswaram in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Jainulabdeen, was a boat owner, and his mother, Ashiamma, was a homemaker. He started working at a young age to support his father. He received average grades in school but was seen as a hardworking and bright student with a strong desire to learn things. He used to study for hours, especially mathematics. He completed his schooling from Rameshwaram Elementary School. In 1954 he graduated in Physics from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli, which was then affiliated to the University of Madras. Thereafter in 1955 he moved to Madras and joined the Madras Institute of Technology and studied aerospace engineering. His dream was to become a fighter pilot but he was ranked ninth while the IAF offered only eight slots. He is a bachelor.
Political party-Indian National Congress
Born On: 19th December 1934
Born In: Nadgaon, Maharashtra
Career: President of India
Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the twelfth President of India and the first woman to be appointed to India's highest constitutional office. A former member of the Indian National Congress Party, Smt. Pratibha Patil created history when she succeeded Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to become the first woman President of India. A lawyer by profession, she has also served the post of Governor of Rajasthan. But that is not all. In her 28 years long political career, Pratibha Patil has held several impressive ministerial portfolios, from being the deputy minister of education to being the minister of social welfare, tourism, and housing. With every position, Smt. Pratibha Patil has proved her spunk and it is due to her extraordinary political career that she was appointed as the President of India. Pratibha Patil got the motivation to step in the politics from her father. With her determination, deeds and service, she etched a name for herself in the glorious pages of Indian history that will be remembered and revered in the days to come. Know all about her life, work, and achievements in the write-up below.
Early Life
She was born in 19 December 1934 in Nadgaon, a village in Bodwadtaluka in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. Her father Narayan Rao was a local politician. She completed her primary education from R.R. Vidyalaya, Jalagaon and received her Bachelor's degree in Law from Government Law College, Mumbai. She pursued her Master's in Political Science and Economics from Mooljee Jetha College, Jalagaon. In her college days, she actively participated in sports and did extremely well in table tennis. In 1962, she was entitled as 'College Queen' of M.J. College. On 7 July 1965, she married Dr. Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat and the couple has two children, a son Rajendra Singh and a daughter, Smt. Jyoti Rathore.
Career
She started her career as a practicing lawyer at Jalgaon District Court. At the age of 27 years, she was elected to the Maharashtra State Legislature from Jalgaon Assembly Constituency. For four consecutive years, she was elected as the MLA from the Edlabad (Muktai Nagar) Constituency. She has held various positions in the Government as well as in the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra. From 1967 to 1972, she served as the Deputy Minister of education and has held several other ministerial portfolios- from Public Health to Tourism to Parliamentary Affairs and more. Smt. Pratibha Patil worked as the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra. Apart from that, she has served as the Chairperson of Committee of Privileges and the Member of Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha. Smt. Pratibha Patil became the Governor of Rajasthan on 8 November 2004 and remained in the position until June 2007. On 25 July 2007, she was sworn in as the 12th President of India. She won the Presidential Elections after defeating her competitor Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by more than 300,000 votes.
Besides her achievements in politics, she has been connected with various organizations and was the Chairperson of Maharashtra State Water Pollution Control Board from 1982 to 1985. From 1988 to 1990, she served as the President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). Apart from being on the position of Director and Vice-Chairperson of National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies, Smt. Pratibha Patil also worked as the Member of Governing Council of National Cooperative Union of India and the Chairperson of 20-Point Program Implementation Committee, Government of Maharashtra. Besides this, she has also attended the International Council on Social Welfare Conferences at Nairobi and at Puerto Rico. In 1985, Smt. Patil was appointed as a Member of the AICC (I) Delegation to Bulgaria and in 1988, she became the Member of Commonwealth Presiding Officers Conference in London. She also led the Indian delegation to the Conference on the 'Status of Women', which was organized in Austria, and in September 1995, she was chosen as the representative at the World Women's Conference, Beijing, China.
Contribution
She has played a very important role in the development of India and for the welfare of women and children and the neglected sections of the society. She set up various institutions for the progress of them. She established hostels for working women in Mumbai and Delhi, an Engineering College at Jalgaon for rural youth, the Shram Sadhana Trust that is involved in several welfare activities for the advancement of women. She also set up an Industrial Training School in Jalgaon for the visually handicapped children, schools for poor children of Vimukta Jatis (Nomadic Tribes) and Backward class children in Amravati District. Moreover, she has opened a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Farmer's Training Centre) at Amravati, Maharashtra. She played a revolutionary role in the foundation of Mahila Vikas Mahamandal, in which Maharashtra State Government is responsible for the development of women. She was also involved in organizing music, computer and sewing classes for the poor and needy women at Amravati, Maharashtra.
Political party-Indian National Congress
Shri Pranab Mukherjee assumed office as the 13th President of India on July 25, 2012, crowning a political career of over five decades of exemplary service to the nation in Government as well as Parliament.Seventy six years old, Shri Mukherjee is a man of unparalleled experience in governance with the rare distinction of having served at different times as Foreign, Defence, Commerce and Finance Minister. He was elected to the Upper House of the Parliament (Rajya Sabha) five times from 1969 and twice to the Lower House of the Parliament (Lok Sabha) from 2004. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee, the highest policy making body of the Party for a period of 23 years.
During the period 2004-2012, Shri Mukherjee was instrumental in spearheading critical decisions of the Government on a range of issues such as Administrative reforms, Right to Information, Right to Employment, Food Security, Energy Security, Information Technology and telecommunication, setting up of UIDAI, Metro Rail etc. through Chairmanship of over 95 Groups of Ministers constituted for the purpose. In seventies and eighties, he was instrumental in setting up the Regional Rural Banks (1975) and the EXIM Bank of India as well as National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (1981-82). Shri Mukherjee was also author of a modified formula for resource sharing between the Centre and the States in 1991 which came to be known as the Gadgil - Mukherjee formula.
A powerful orator and scholar, Shri Mukherjee
