PRESIDENTS OF INDIA

Dr. Rajendra PrasadDate of Birth : Dec 3, 1884Date of Death : Feb 28, 1963Place of Birth : Zeradei, BiharTenure Order : 1st President

Dr.Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanDate of Birth : Sept 5, 1888Date of Death : April 17, 1975Place of Birth : Tiruttani, Madras Tenure Order : 2nd President

Dr.Zakir Hussain Date of Birth : Feb 8, 1897Date of Death : May 3, 1969Place of Birth : HyderabadTenure Order : 3rd President

Justice Mohd. Hidayatullah Date of Birth : Dec 17, 1905Date of Death : -Place of Birth : Maharashtra Tenure Order : Jul 20, 1969

Varahagiri Venkatagiri Date of Birth : Aug 10, 1894Date of Death : 1980Place of Birth : Orissa Tenure Order : Aug 24, 1969

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Date of Birth : May 13, 1905Date of Death : Feb 11, 1977Place of Birth : Delhi Tenure Order : 5th President

B.D.Jatti Date of Birth : Sep 10, 1912 Date of Death : -Place of Birth : Karnataka Tenure Order : Feb 11, 1977

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Date of Birth : May 19, 1913Date of Death : -Place of Birth : Andhra Pradesh Tenure Order : 6th President

Giani Zail Singh Date of Birth : May 5, 1916 Date of Death : Dec 25, 1994Place of Birth : FaridkotTenure Order : July 25, 1982

R.Venkataraman Date of Birth : Dec 4, 1910Date of Death : -Place of Birth : Tamil NaduTenure Order : 8th President

Dr.Shanker Dayal Sharma Date of Birth : Aug 19, 1918 Date of Death : Dec 26, 1999Place of Birth : IndiaTenure Order : 9th President

K.R.NarayanDate of Birth : Oct 27, 1920 Place of Birth : KeralaTenure Order : July 25, 1997

Dr. A.P.J. Adbul KalamDate of Birth : Oct 15, 1931 Place of Birth : Tamil NaduTenure Order : July 25, 2002

Pratibha PatilDate of Birth : Dec 19, 1934

Place of Birth : Nadgaon, Maharashtra

Tenure Order : July 25, 2007

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

1st President of India

In office26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru

Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Preceded by Office Created

Succeeded by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Born3 December 1884Jiradei, SiwanBihar, British India

Died 28 February 1963 (aged 78)

Political party Indian National Congress

Rajendra PrasadDr. Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was the youngest son of Mahadev Sahay from the village Ziradei, then the Saran district of Bihar. Dr. Prasad is considered to be one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of free India.

During the independence movement, he left his law work and joined the Congress Party, playing a prominent role in the Indian Independence Movement. He served as the president of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the first constitution of the Republic, which lasted from 1948 to 1950. He also briefly served as a cabinet minister in the first Government of the Indian Republic.[1]

Early lifeDr. Rajendra Prasad, son of Mahadev Sahai, was born in Zeradei village, in the Siwan district of Bihar, on 3 December 1884. He was the youngest in a large family, & was close to his mother and eldest brother. He was known as "Rajen" to his family and friends. His father, Mahadev Sahay, was a scholar of both the Persian and Sanskrit languages, while his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a religious woman. Zeradei's population was diverse, with both Muslims and Hindus living in relative harmony.

[edit] Student Life

When Rajendra Prasad was five years old, his parents put him under a Mawlawi, an accomplished Muslim scholar, to learn the Persian language, followed by Hindi and arithmetic. After the completion of traditional elementary education, Rajendra Prasad was sent to the Chhapra District School. At the age of 12, Rajendra Prasad was married to Rajavanshi Devi. He, along with his elder brother Mahendra Prasad, then went on to study at T.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna.

Since childhood, Rajendra Prasad was a brilliant student. He placed first in the entrance examination to the University of Calcutta and was awarded Rs.30 per month as a scholarship. In 1902, Rajendra Prasad joined the Presidency College. He was initially a student of science and his teachers included Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Roy. Later he decided to focus on the arts. Prasad lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A plaque still commemorates his stay in that room. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was instrumental in the formation of the Bihari Students' Conference in 1908. It was the first organization of its kind in the whole of India, which would later produce many of the premier figures of Bihar like Bihar Vibhuti Dr Anugrah Narayan Sinha & Bihar Kesari Sri Krishna Singh.

In 1915, Rajendra Prasad graduated with a Masters in Law, passing his examination with honors. He then went on to complete his Doctorate in Law.

Career

[edit] As a teacher

Rajendra Prasad served in various educational institutions as a teacher. After completing his MA in economics, Dr. Prasad joined as a professor at the Bhumihar Brahman College in Muzaffarpur, on July 1908 and later went on to become the principal. However later on he left the college for his legal studies. In Kolkata too he worked as Professor of Economics.

[edit] As a lawyer

Rajendra Prasad practiced law and pursued studies at Bhagalpur in Bihar and eventually emerged as a popular and eminent figure of the region. In 1916, Rajendra Prasad joined the High Court of Bihar and Orissa. Such was his intellect and his integrity, that often when his adversary failed to cite a precedent, the judges would ask Rajendra Prasad to provide a precedent.

[edit] During the Independence Movement

Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai and Babu Rajendra Prasad (Center) at the AICC Session, April 1939

Dr. Prasad was drawn into the Indian independence movement soon after starting his career as a lawyer. During one of the fact-finding missions at Champaran, Mahatma Gandhi asked him to come with his volunteers. Rajendra Prasad was so greatly moved by the dedication, courage, and conviction of Mahatma Gandhi that he quit his duties in the university to aid the movement. He also responded to the call by Gandhi to boycott Western educational establishments by asking his son, Mrityunjaya Prasad, to drop out of his studies and enroll himself in Bihar Vidyapeeth, an institution he along with his colleagues founded on the traditional Indian model[2].

During the course of the independent movement, he formed a friendship with Dr. Rahul Sankrityayan, the great Indian writer, freedom fighter, and polymath. In many of his articles he mentioned about his meeting with Dr. Rahul Sankrityayan and narrated about their close friendship and Rahulji's love toward his nation. He wrote articles for the revolutionary publications Searchlight and the Desh and collected funds for these papers. He toured widely, explaining, lecturing, and exhorting the principles of the independence movement.

He took an active role in helping the affected people during the 1914 floods that struck Bihar and Bengal. When the earthquake of Bihar occurred on 15 January 1934, Rajendra Prasad was in jail, During that period, he passed his responsibility to his close colleague and eminent Gandhian Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha.[3] He was released two days later, and set himself for the task of raising funds to help the people. The Viceroy of India had raised his own fund, though Rajendra Prasad's fund collected over 38 Lakhs (Rs. 3,800,000), three times what the Viceroy raised. During the 1935 Quetta earthquake, when he was forbidden to leave the country, he set up relief committees in Sindh and Punjab.

He was elected as the President of Indian National Congress during the Bombay session in October 1934. He again became the president when Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose resigned in 1939.

After India became an independent republic in 1950, he was elected as the first President of India. Prasad acted independently of politics, following the expected role of the president that the constitution set down. Following the tussle over the enactment of the Hindu Code Bill, he took a more active role in the affairs of the nation. He set several important precedents for later presidents to follow.

In 1962, after twelve years as the president, he announced his decision to retire. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian award.

Rajendra Prasad died on 28 February 1963 [4]

Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan BR Kt. OM FBA

2nd President of India

In office13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967

Prime MinisterGulzarilal Nanda (1st term)Lal Bahadur ShastriGulzarilal Nanda (2nd term)

Vice President Zakir Hussain

Preceded by Rajendra Prasad

Succeeded by Zakir Hussain

Born5 September 1888Thiruttani, Madras Presidency, British India

Died17 April 1975 (aged 86)Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Political party Independent

Spouse(s) Sivakamu

Children Five daughters and a son

Occupation Politician, Philosopher, Professor

Religion Hinduism

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Telugu: సర్వే�పల్లి� రాధాకృష్ణ (OM, FBA 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975) was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice-President of India (1952–1962) and subsequently the second President of India (1962–1967).

One of India's most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Radhakrishnan is considered through his efforts to have built a bridge between the East and the West by showing that the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other. He wrote authoritative exegeses of India's religious and philosophical literature for the English speaking world. His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921-?) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University (1936–1952).

Among the many honours he received were a knighthood (1931), the Bharat Ratna (1954) and the Order of Merit in 1963. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teacher's Day on 5 September.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life and education o 1.1 Marriage

2 Career

3 Philosophy

4 Awards

5 Works by Dr. Radhakrishnan

6 Works on Dr. Radhakrishnan

7 References

8 External links

[edit] Early life and educationSarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born into a poor Telugu Brahmin family at Tiruttani, a town in Madras Presidency, British India, 64 km to the northwest of Madras (now Chennai). His mother tongue was Telugu.[1] His mother's name was Sitamma. His early years were spent in Tirutani and Tirupati. His father was a subordinate revenue official in the service of a local Zamindar (landlord). His primary education was at Primary Board High School at Tirutani. In 1896 he moved to the Hermansburg Evangelical Lutheral Mission School in Tirupati.[2]

Dr. Radhakrishnan was awarded scholarships throughout his academic life. He joined the Voorhee's College in Vellore but switched to the Madras Christian College at the age of 17. He graduated with a Master's degree in Philosophy from the Madras Christian College in 1906, being one of its most distinguished alumni.[3] Radhakrishnan wrote his thesis for the M.A. degree on "The Ethics of the Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions".[4] He was afraid that his M.A. thesis, "The Ethics of the Vedanta" would offend his philosophy professor, Dr. A.G. Hogg. Instead, Dr. Hogg commended Radhakrishnan on doing an excellent job.[citation needed] Radhakrishnan's M.A. thesis was published when he was only 20.

Dr. Radhakrishnan studied philosophy by chance rather than by choice. Being a financially constrained student at the time, when a cousin, after graduating from the same college, passed on his textbooks in philosophy to Radhakrishnan, it automatically decided his academic course.[5][6] Later on he felt deep interest in his subject and wrote many acclaimed works on philosophy, both eastern and western.

[edit] Marriage

Radhakrishnan was married to Sivakami, a distant cousin, in 1904 at the age of 16. As per tradition the marriage was arranged by the family. The couple had five daughters and a son, Sarvepalli Gopal. Sarvepalli Gopal went on to a notable career as a historian. Sivakami died in 1956. They were married for over 51 years.[7]

Career

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan drawn by Bujjai and signed by Radhakrishnan in telugu as "Radhakrishnaiah".

In 1918 Radhakrishnan was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore. By that time he had written many articles for journals of repute like The Quest, Journal of Philosophy and the International Journal of Ethics. He also completed his first book, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. He believed Tagore's philosophy to be the "genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit." Dr. Radhakrishnan's second book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy was published in 1920.

In 1921 he was appointed as a professor in philosophy to occupy the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. Radhakrishnan represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926. Another important academic event during this period was the invitation to deliver the Hibbert lecture on the ideals of life which he delivered at Harris Manchester College, Oxford in 1929 and which was subsequently published in book form as 'An Idealist View of Life'.

In 1929 Dr. Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by Principal J. Estlin Carpenter in Manchester College, Oxford. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to the students of the University of Oxford on Comparative Religion. For his services to education he was knighted by the British Government in 1931, but did not use the title in his personal life, preferring instead his academic title of 'Doctor'.

He was the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936 Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford, and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. In 1939 Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya invited him to succeed him as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU).[8] He served as its Vice-Chancellor till January 1948.

When India became independent in 1947, Dr. Radhakrishnan represented India at UNESCO (1946–52) and was later Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, from 1949 to 1952. He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly of India.

Dr. Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice President of India in 1952.[7] He was elected as the second President of India (1962–1967). When he became President, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, 5 September. He replied,

"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers' Day."

His birthday has since been celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.[9]

Along with Ghanshyam Das Birla and some other social workers in the pre-independence era, Dr. Radhakrishnan formed the Krishnarpan Charity Trust.

[edit] PhilosophyDr. Radhakrishnan stated that Western philosophers, despite all claims to objectivity, were influenced by theological influences of their own culture.[10] He wrote books on Indian philosophy according to Western academic standards, and made all efforts for the West to give serious consideration to Indian philosophy. In his book "Idealist View of Life", he made a powerful case for the importance of intuitive thinking as opposed to purely intellectual forms of thought. He is well known for his commentaries on the Prasthana Trayi namely, the Bhagavadgita, the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutra.

“ It is not God that is worshipped but the authority that claims to speak in His name. Sin becomes disobedience to authority not violation of integrity. ”

[edit] AwardsDr. Radhakrishnan was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1938. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1954 and the Order of Merit in 1963. He received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1961 and the Templeton Prize in 1975, a few months before his death. He donated the entire amount of the Templeton Prize to Oxford University. In 1989, the Oxford University instituted the Radhakrishnan Scholarships in his memory. The scholarships were later renamed the "Radhakrishnan Chevening Scholarships".[citation needed]

Radhakrishnan was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature for five consecutive years from 1933–1937, although he did not win. His nominator was Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, father of Dag Hammarskjöld.[11]

[edit] Works by Dr. Radhakrishnan The Hindu View of Life (1926), 92 pages An Idealist View of Life (1929), 351 pages

Review: E.A. Burtt (Cornell University), The Philosophical Review, Vol. 44, No. 2, (Mar., 1935), pp. 205-207

"Those who have read the author's previous volumes or have heard him speak are accustomed to associate with him warmth and vigor of style, penetrating flashes of keen analysis, and detailed familiarity with past and present philosophies in both east and west. In these respects none will find the book disappointing."

Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), Oxford University Press, 396 pages Religion and Society (1947), 242 pages

The Principal Upanishads (see article) (1953), 958 pages, HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Recovery of Faith (1956), 205 pages

A Source Book in Indian Philosophy (1957), 683 pages, Princeton University Press

Review: E.A. Burtt (Cornell University), The Philosophical Review, Vol. 67, No. 3, (Jul., 1958), pp. 411-412

"I believe this is the first time I have written a review when no negative criticism of any kind seemed to me warranted. ... No one interested in Indian thought who does not expect to master the original materials can dispense with this book."

[edit] Works on Dr. RadhakrishnanSeveral books have been published on Dr. Radhakrishnan:

Schilpp, Paul Arthur (1992) [1952, Tudor] The Philosophy Of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Motilal Banarsidass ISBN 8120807928 http://books.google.com/books?id=cDdpTcyJtxMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=8120807928&lr=&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Murty, K. Satchidananda; Ashok Vohra (1990). Radhakrishnan: his life and ideas. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791403432. http://books.google.com/books?id=x6FsaptULgAC&pg=PP1&dq=radhakrishnan&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false.

Minor, Robert Neil (1987). Radhakrishnan: a religious biography. SUNY Press. ISBN 0887065546. http://books.google.com/books?id=2LzRkWABC6sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=radhakrishnan&cd=5#v=onepage&q=&f=false.

Gopal, Sarvepalli (1989). Radhakrishnan: a biography. Unwin Hyman. ISBN 0044404492. http://books.google.com/books?id=ryluAAAAMAAJ&q=radhakrishnan&dq=radhakrishnan&cd=7.

Zakir Hussain (politician)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Zakir Hussainحسین زاکِر

3rd President of India

In office13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Vice President Varahagiri Venkata Giri

Preceded by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Succeeded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri

2nd Vice President of India

In office13 May 1962 – 12 May 1967

President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Preceded by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Succeeded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri

11th Governor of Bihar

In office6 July 1957 – 11 May 1962

Preceded by R.R Diwakar

Succeeded by Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar

Born8 February 1897Hyderabad, India

Died3 May 1969 (aged 72)New Delhi, India

Political party Independent

Spouse(s) Shahjehan Begum

Religion Islam

Dr. Zakir Hussain (8 February 1897 - 3 May 1969) (Urdu: ِک�ر حسین was the third President of India from 13 May ,(زا

1967 until his death on 3 May 1969. He was the first elected Muslim president of India.

He was awarded the highest Indian national honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1963.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life and background 2 Career

3 References

4 External links

[edit] Early life and backgroundHussain was born in Kaimganj, India. Zakir Hussain was an ethnic Afridi (Pashtun). His family had migrated to Hyderabad from Kaimganj, district Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh. His father died when he was ten years old, and his mother died in 1911 when he was fourteen years old. He attended Islamia High School, Etawah, and was then educated at the Anglo-Muhammadan Oriental College (now Aligarh Muslim University, where he was a prominent student leader).[1][2]

[edit] CareerHussain, then only 23, was among the small group of students and teachers who founded a National Muslim University, first founded in Aligarh on Friday 29 October 1920 then shifted to Karol Bagh, New Delhi in 1925, then after shifted again on 1 March 1935 in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi and named it Jamia Millia Islamia (a central university). He subsequently went to Germany to obtain a PhD from the University of Berlin in Economics. While in Germany, Hussain was instrumental in bringing out the anthology of arguably the greatest Urdu poet Mirza Assadullah Khan "Ghalib" (1797–1868).[3]

He returned to India to head the Jamia Millia Islamia which was facing closure in 1927. He continued in that position for the next twenty-one years providing academic and managerial leadership to an institution that was intimately involved with India's struggle for freedom from the British Rule and experimented with value base education on the lines advocated by Mahatma Gandhi and Hakim Ajmal Khan [4] . During this period he continued to engage himself with movements for educational reforms in India and was particularly active in the affairs of his old alma mater the MAO College, now the Aligarh Muslim University. During this period Hussain emerged as one of the most prominent educational thinkers and practitioners of modern India. His personal sacrifice and untiring efforts to keep the Jamia afloat in very adverse circumstances won him appreciation of even his arch political rivals like Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

Soon after India attained independence, Hussain agreed to be the Vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University which was facing trying times in post partition India because of active involvement of a section of its teachers and students in the movement for creation of Pakistan, where incidentally Hussain's relatives brother Dr. Mahmood Hussain and nephew General Rahimuddin Khan would migrate to and achieve eminence. Dr Hussain, again, provided leadership during a critical phase of the history of the University at Aligarh from 1948-1956. Soon after completing his term as Vice Chancellor he was nominated as a member of the Upper House of Indian Parliament in 1956, a position he vacated in 1957 to become Governor of the State of Bihar.

After serving as the Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962, and as the second Vice President of India from 1962 to 1967, Hussain was elected President of India on 13 May 1967. In his inaugural speech he said that the whole of India was his home and all its people were his family.

Hussain died on 3 May 1969, the first Indian President to die in office. He is buried on the campus of the Jamia Millia Islamia (or Central University) in New Delhi.

Mohammad Hidayatullah

Mohammad Hidayatullah

6th Vice President of India

In office31 August 1979 – 30 August 1984

President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Preceded by Basappa Danappa Jatti

Succeeded by Ramaswamy Venkataraman

ActingPresident of India

In office20 July 1969 – 24 August 1969

Preceded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri

Succeeded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri

11th Chief Justice of India

In office

25 February 1968 – 16 December 1970

Nominated by none (per convention as he was the senior most judge)

Preceded by Kailas Nath Wanchoo

Succeeded by Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah

Born17 December 1905Lucknow, British Raj

Died 18 September 1992 (aged 86)

Political party Independent

Mohammad Hidayatullah, OBE (Hindi:मुहम्मद हिहदायतुल्लाह) (17 December 1905 - 18 September 1992) was the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. He served as the Acting President of India on two occasions and was also the sixth Vice-President of India for one complete term. The Hidayatullah National Law University at Naya Raipur is named after him.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life and education [1][2] 2 Judicial Career

3 Other roles

o 3.1 Presidency

o 3.2 Career in Nagpur

o 3.3 Teaching

4 Legacy

5 Notes

6 See also

7 External links

[edit] Early life and education [1][2]

After completing primary education at the Government High School of Raipur in 1922, Hidayatullah attended Morris College in Nagpur, where he was nominated as the Phillip's Scholar in 1926. Following the trend of Indians studying British law abroad, Hidayatullah attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge from 1927 to 1930. Here he secured the 2nd order of merit and was awarded a Gold Medal for his performance in 1930.

While at Cambridge, Hidayatullah was elected and served as the President of the Indian Majlis in 1929. Also while here, he pursued English and Law Tripos from the renowned Lincoln's Inn. In addition he secured a place of Barrister-at-Law in 1930.

[edit] Judicial CareerAfter graduation, Hidayatullah returned to India to serve as an advocate at the Nagpur High Court from 1930 to 1946. During this time he served as Government Pleader from 1942–1943, as well as an Advocate General of the Central Provinces and Berar (now Madhya Pradesh) from 1943 to 1946.

In 1946, Hidayatullah was appointed as a judge at the Nagpur High Court, where he served until being elevated to Chief Justice of the Nagpur High Court in 1954. Hidayatullah served as the Chief Justice here until 1956, and was subsequently appointed the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in November 1956.

Following this longstanding experience in the state's court circuit, Hidayatullah was eventually elevated as a Justice to the Supreme Court of India in December 1958. After serving as a Justice for nearly 10 years, Hidayatullah took oath as Chief Justice of India on 28 February 1968 - becoming the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. He retired from this position on 16 December 1970 [1][2].

[edit] Other roles

[edit] Presidency

In 1969, Hidayatullah served as the Acting President of India being ex officio Chief Justice. He served from 20 July to 24 August, as then Vice-President of India and Acting President of India V V Giri resigned to take part in Presidential elections. After retiring from the post of Chief Justice, he was elected as the Vice President of India in August 1979, serving a full term in office until 1984. During his term he served again as Acting President ex officio Vice President of India.

Having served at all of these positions made Hidayatullah unique among other members of Indian history. Justice Hidayatullah became the only person to have served in all three offices of Chief Justice of India, President of India, and the Vice President of India. [1][2]

[edit] Career in Nagpur

Before becoming involved in national politics and serving as Supreme Court Justice, Hidayatullah was involved in local and state affairs. The following are some of the committee positions he held:

Member of the Nagpur Municipal Committee (1931–1933) Member of the Nagpur University's Executive and Academic Councils (1934–1953)

Member of the Nagpur Improvement Trust (1943–1945)

Member of the Nagpur Bar Council (1943–1946)

Chief Commissioner of the Madhya Pradesh Bharat Scouts and Guides (1950–1953)

Many of these positions, as well as those of High Court Justice were held prior to Indian Independence, they were all considered service to Great Britain, thus Hidayatullah was conferred the honor of Order of British Empire by the Royal Family of Britain in 1946.

[edit] Teaching

Having received an education at one of the premier legal institutions of the time, Hidayatullah was able to segue into an academic career not long after returning to India. In 1935, he took a teaching post at University College of Law - where he taught until 1943. Later he served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at Nagpur University from 1949 to 1953. In addition, he served as Faculty of Law at various other institutions throughout the 1950s: Sagar University, Court Vikram University, and the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University.

Post-retirement Hidayatullah renewed his interest in Boy Scouts and served as Chief Scout of the All India Boy Scouts Association from 1982 to 1992. [1]

[edit] LegacyIn his honor, the Hidayatullah National Law University was established in 2003, in his home town of Raipur, in the now state of Chattisgarh.

V. V. Giri

Varahagiri Venkata Giri

4th President of India

In office24 August 1969 – 24 August 1974

Vice President Gopal Swarup Pathak

Preceded by Muhammad Hidayatullah

Succeeded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

ActingPresident of India

In office3 May 1969 – 20 July 1969

Preceded by Zakir Hussain

Succeeded by Muhammad Hidayatullah

3rd Vice President of India

In office13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969

President Zakir Hussain

Preceded by Zakir Hussain

Succeeded by Gopal Swarup Pathak

Born10 August 1894Berhampur, Ganjam, Madras Presidency, British India

Died23 June 1980 (aged 85)Madras, Tamil Nadu, India

Nationality India

Political party Independent

Spouse(s) Saraswati Bai

Varahagiri Venkata Giri (Telugu: వరాహగిరి వేంకట గిరి) (10 August 1894 – 23 June 1980), commonly known as V. V. Giri, was the fourth President of the Republic of India from 24 August 1969 to 23 August 1974.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life 2 Career

3 Personal life

4 References

5 External links

[edit] Early lifeHe was born in a Telugu family to Varahagiri Venkata Jogaiah,[1] residing in Berhampur in the Ganjam district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency. The town and district are now part of the state of Orissa. His father was an eminent

lawyer and migrated to Berhampur from Chintalapalli village, now part of East Goadvari District - Andhra Pradesh State.

In 1913, he went to University College Dublin to study law, but was expelled from Ireland in 1916 after becoming involved with the Sinn Féin movement. Involvement which brought him into close contact with Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Patrick Pearse, Desmond FitzGerald, Eoin MacNeill, James Connolly and others.

[edit] CareerUpon returning to India, he became heavily involved in the labour movement, becoming general secretary and then president of the All-India Railwaymen's Federation and twice serving as president of the All-India Trade Union Congress.

Giri became a member of the Imperial Legislative Assembly in 1934.[2]

In the 1936 General Election in Madras, Giri was put up as the Congress candidate in Bobbili against the Raja of Bobbili and he won that election. He became minister of labour and industries in 1937 for the Congress Party government formed by C.Rajagopalachari in the Madras Presidency. When the Congress governments resigned in 1942, he returned to the labour movement as part of the quit India movement and was imprisoned by the British. He was lodged in Rajahmundry jail.

After India gained independence, he was first appointed high commissioner to Ceylon and then successfully ran for parliament in 1952. He was elected for 1st Lok Sabha from Pathapatnam Lok Sabha Constituency[3] and served as minister of labour until resigning in 1954.

The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) was founded in 1957 by a distinguished group of academicians and public men engaged in promoting the study of labour and industrial relations. The team was headed by Shri Giri.

He served successfully as governor of Uttar Pradesh (1957–1960), Kerala (1960–1965) and Mysore (1965–1967).

He was elected as the third Vice President of India in 1967. Giri became acting president of India in 1969 upon the death in office of Zakir Hussain and decided to run for that position in the ensuing election. The Congress Party Official leadership led by Kamraj chose to support Neelam Sanjiva Reddy for the position, but he was able to prevail anyway being the chosen candidate for Indira Gandhi who controlled the government, serving until 1974.

He received India's highest civilian decoration, the Bharat Ratna, in 1975.

He was a prolific writer and a good orator. He has written books on 'Industrial Relations' and 'Labour problems in Indian Industry'

[edit] Personal lifeHis family lives in Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

5th President of India

In office24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977

Vice President Basappa Danappa Jatti

Preceded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri

Succeeded byBasappa Danappa Jatti (Acting)Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Born13 May 1905Delhi, Punjab, British India

Died11 February 1977 (aged 71)New Delhi, Delhi, India

Alma   mater St Catharine's College, Cambridge

Profession Lawyer

Religion Islam

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (13 May 1905 - 11 February 1977) was the fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life and background 2 Political years

3 Honors

4 References

[edit] Early life and backgroundShri Fakhruddin's grandfather, Shri Khaliluddin Ali Ahmed, of Kacharighat near Golaghat town , Assam, married in one of the families who were the relics of Emperor Aurangzeb's bid to conquer Assam [1]

Ahmed was born on 13 May 1905, in Delhi, India. His father was Col. Zalnur Ali who married the daughter of the Nawab of Lohari in Delhi [2]

He started his education in the Government High School from Gonda District, Uttar Pradesh, India. He matriculated from the Delhi Government High School and went to England for higher education in 1923 continuing studies at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He started legal practice in the Lahore High Court in 1928. [3]

[edit] Political yearsHe met Jawaharlal Nehru in England in 1925. He joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the freedom movement.

After Independence he was elected to the Rajya Sabha (1952-1953) and thereafter became Advocate-General of the Government of Assam. He was elected on Congress ticket to the Assam Assembly on two terms (1957-1962) and (1962-1967). He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Barpeta constituency in 1971. In the Central Cabinet he was given important portfolios relating to Food and Agriculture, Cooperation, Education, Industrial Development and Company Laws.

Picked for the presidency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, he became the second Muslim to be elected President. He used his constitutional authority as head of state to allow her to rule by decree once emergency rule was proclaimed in 1975. He died in office.

[edit] HonorsHe was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Pristina, in Kosovo in 1975, during his visit to Yugoslavia.

He was elected President of the Assam Football Association and the Assam Cricket Association for several terms; he was also the Vice-President of the Assam Sports Council.

In April 1967, he was elected President of the All India Cricket Association. He was a member of the Delhi Golf Club and the Delhi Gymkhana Club from 1961.

Basappa Danappa JattiFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (January 2008)

Basappa Danappa Jattiಬಸಪ್ಪ ದಾನಪ್ಪ ಜತ್ತಿ

ActingPresident of India

In office11 February 1977 – 25 July 1977

Preceded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Succeeded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

5th Vice President of India

In office31 August 1974 – 30 August 1979

President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Preceded by Gopal Swarup Pathak

Succeeded by Muhammad Hidayatullah

5th Chief Ministers of Mysore State

In office16 May 1958 – 9 March 1962

Preceded by Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa

Succeeded by S.R. Kanthi

Born10 September 1912Savalgi, Jamakhandi, Bijapur, British Raj

Died 7 May 2002 (aged 89)

Nationality Indian

Political party Independent

Religion Hindu

Basappa Danappa Jatti (Kannada: ಬಸಪ್ಪ ದಾನಪ್ಪ ಜತ್ತಿ)(10 September 1912–June 7, 2002) was born to Kannada Lingayat family at Savalgi, Bijapur district of Karnataka state. Jatti graduated as a lawyer from Sykes Law College, Kolhapur and became a pleader in Jamakhandi. He was President of India (acting) from 11 February 1977 to 25 July 1977.

Contents[hide]

1 Biography 2 Religion

3 See also

4 Titles Held

5 External links

[edit] BiographySoft-spoken Jatti rose from a humble beginning as a Municipality member to India’s second-highest office during a five-decade-long chequered political career.

Born in Savalgi in Jamakhandi Taluk of Bijapur district, Mr Jatti entered politics as a Municipality member at Jamakhandi in 1940 and later became its President. He was eventually elected to the Jamakhandi State Legislature.

A Law Graduate from Rajaram College, Kolhapur, he practised for a brief period as a pleader in Jamakhandi. He was appointed minister of Jamakhandi state, and subsequently became its Chief Minister. On 8 March 1948 after Jamakhandi was merged with Bombay state, he returned to legal practice and continued it for 20 months. Jatti was also nominated as member of the Bombay State Legislative Assembly to represent the merged area, and, within a week of his nomination, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the then Bombay Chief Minister, B G Kher. He worked in that capacity for a couple of years.

After the 1952 general elections, he was appointed Minister of Health and Labour of the then Bombay Government and held that post till the reorganisation of states.

Jatti became member of the Mysore Legislative Assembly after the reorganisation and was Chairman of the Land Reforms Committee. He became Chief Minister in 1958 and continued in that office until 1962.

Re-elected from Jamkhandi constituency in the third general elections, Jatti was appointed Finance Minister on 2 July 1962 in the Nijalingappa Ministry. He was re-elected to the fourth Assembly from the same constituency and appointed as Minister of Food and Civil Supplies.

Jatti subsequently moved onto the national scene and was appointed Lt Governor of Pondicherry in 1968. He became Orissa Governor in 1973 and, in 1974, assumed office as the fifth Vice-President until 1980. He became acting President for a brief period after the death of Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. After demitting office as Vice-President, Jatti continued to be in the limelight as a keen observer of the political situation in the country.

A deeply religious man, he was also founder president of the Basava Samithi, which propagated the preachings of 12th century saint philosopher Basaveshwara. He was also involved in various organisations concerned with social activities.

[edit] ReligionOutside of politics, Jatti was founder president of the Basava Samithi, a religious movement propagated the preachings of 12th century saint, philosopher and Hindu refomer Basaveshwara.

Neelam Sanjiva ReddyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

6th President of India

In office25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982

Preceded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Succeeded by Zail Singh

1st Chief minister of Andhra pradesh

In office1 November 1956 – 11 January 1960

Succeeded by Damodaram Sanjivayya

8th Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement

In office7 March 1983 – 12 March 1983

Preceded by Dr. Zakir Hussain

Succeeded by Zail Singh

Born19 May 1913Illur village of district Anantapur in the State of Andhra Pradesh

Died1 June 1996 (aged 83)Bangalore, India

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (Telugu: నీలం సంజీవ రెడ్డి� ) (19 May 1913 - 1 June 1996) was the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982 and was the only person to be elected President of India unopposed.

Reddy was born in Illur village of district Anantapur in the State of Andhra Pradesh. He had his primary education at the High School run by Theosophical Society Adyar, Madras. The spiritual atmosphere of the school left a deep impact on his mind. He joined the Government Arts College at Anantapur for his higher studies.

Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Anantapur in July 1929 was the turning point in Reddy's life. He came under the profound influence of Gandhiji's thoughts, words and actions. He discarded his foreign clothes and took to Khadi as his dress. He gave up his studies and joined the Indian Independence Movement. In 1931 he left his studies to join Congress Party.

He was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1946 and became the Secretary of the Madras Congress Legislature Party. In 1947, he became a Member of the Indian Constituent Assembly. He was Minister for Prohibition, Housing and Forests in the composite state of Madras from 1949 to 1951. He was Elected as President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in 1951. In 1952, he was elected as a Member of the Rajya Sabha.

He served as the first chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in October 1956 and again from 1962 to 1964. He also served as President of the Indian National Congress from 1959 to 1962.

The degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws was conferred on him by the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi in 1958.

On 9 June 1964, He was appointed a Member of the Union Cabinet and took over the portfolio of Steel and Mines. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in November, 1964.

He was Union Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, Shipping and Tourism from January 1966 to March 1967 in the Cabinet. He was Elected to the Lok Sabha from Hindupur constituency in Andhra Pradesh. He was elected Speaker of Lok Sabha on 17 March 1967, where he won unprecedented acclaim and admiration.

In 1969, following the death of Dr. Zakir Hussain, then President of India, Sanjiva Reddy was nominated as the official candidate of Congress party. Even before the election he resigned from his Lok Sabha speakership in order not to take advantage of a position while contesting for another as a party candidate. However Indira Gandhi, knowing that Sanjiva Reddy was too independent a person to toe her line, took the stance of allowing the party electors to vote according to their conscience, rather than asking to vote for the party candidate. This actually implied her support to V.V.Giri and Sanjiva Reddy lost the election. He retired from active politics, returned to his native village Illuru to take up what was always close to his heart, and his fore-fathers occupation of farming.

He entered active politics again in 1975 along with Shri Jayaprakash Narayan. In March 1977, he fought the Lok Sabha election from Nandyal constituency in Andhra Pradesh as a Janata Party candidate. He was the only non-Congress candidate to get elected from Andhra Pradesh. He was unanimously elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha on 26 March 1977.

He was regarded as the best speaker ever in the Lok Sabha of Indian parliament he also said that he would not remain as the "rubber stamp president" and proved himself to be most dynamic president of India

He was elected President by the electoral college in July 1977.He was the youngest President and also the only unanimous President of India up to now.

He died in Bangalore, India in 1996.

Zail Singh

Giani Zail Singh

Zail Singh (right), the President of India at Award giving Ceremony at his Presidential residence - Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi

7th President of India

In office25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987

Vice PresidentMuhammad Hidayat Ullah (1982-1984)R. Venkataraman (1984-1987)

Preceded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Succeeded by R. Venkataraman

9th Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement

In officeMarch 12, 1983 – September 6, 1986

Preceded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Succeeded by Robert Mugabe

Born 5 May 1916

Died25 December 1994 (aged 78)Chandigarh, India

Political party Congress

Spouse(s) Giani Zail Singh

Occupation politician, statesman

Religion Sikhism

Giani Zail Singh (Punjabi: ਜੈ਼ਲ ਸਿ�ੰਘ, 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an Indian politician and member of the Congress Party. He served as the seventh President of India. He was the President of India during Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.[1]

Sardar Zail Singh, a Sikh by religion, was given the title of Giani, as he was educated and learned about Guru Granth Sahib at Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar. However, he did not have formal secular education. He had a humble start in life and his father was a Sikh Tarkhan Ramgarhia who was killed in an automobile accident.[2]

Contents[hide]

1 Early years 2 Chief Minister of Punjab

3 Home Minister

4 President of India

5 Death

6 References

[edit] Early yearsIn 1947, with the reorganization of India along secular lines and the amalgamation of hundreds of princely states, Giani Zail Singh stood squarely on the side of democracy and opposed the autocratic Raja Harindar Singh of Fareedkot.[3] Known as a bold and honest broker for the people, Zail Singh was called on to be the Revenue Minister of the newly amalgamated princely states of Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Kapurthala, Faridkot, Kalsia, Nalagarh and Malerkotla, designated the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), under Chief Minister Gian Singh Rarevala of Patiala in 1949. In the Congress Government formed on 23 May 1951, he became Agriculture Minister. From 1956 to 1962, Giani Zail Singh served as a member of India's upper house of parliament (Rajya Sabha).

[edit] Chief Minister of PunjabThe emerging spectre of Sikh separatism in the early 1970s served the Congress Party well and helped to elect Giani Zail Singh as Chief Minister of Punjab in 1972. Voters ran from the traditional Sikh party, the Shiromani Akali Dal. Of a total of 104 seats, the Congress won 66 and their Communist allies 10. Independents took 3, a Marxist 1, and the Akalis just 24.[4] As a lifelong Congress member, Giani Zail Singh still managed to “out-Sikh” the Akalis during his tenure as chief minister. He arranged massive religious gatherings, started public functions

with a traditional Sikh prayer, inaugurated a highway named after Guru Gobind Singh, and named a township after the Guru's son.[5]

[edit] Home MinisterIn the 1980 election, Zail Singh was elected a member of the lower house of the legislature (Lok Sabha), and picked on January 14 to join Indira Gandhi's cabinet as Minister for Home Affairs (Security). During his tenure, he is believed to have worked with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to promote the personality of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at the expense of the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership.

[edit] President of IndiaWith the retirement of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as President of India, the members of the Congress Party on 15 July 1982 unanimously nominated Giani Zail Singh to fill the largely ceremonial office. In the general vote, he received almost unanimous support, including even the members of dissident parties such as Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab (India)and the Communists in Bengal. Nonetheless, some in the media felt that the president had been chosen for being an Indira loyalist rather than an eminent person. “If my leader had said I should pick up a broom and be a sweeper, I would have done that. She chose me to be President,”[6] Singh was quoted to have said after his election. Giani Zail Singh took the oath of office on 25 July 1982.

President Zail Singh served in a largely ceremonial capacity beside the shrewdly political Prime Minister Gandhi, though protocol dictated that he should be briefed every week by the prime minister on affairs of state. The day before the army was sent into Amritsar to attack the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, the Golden Temple, Mrs. Gandhi and the president met for more than an hour, but she omitted even sharing a word about her plan.[7]. In the anti-government sentiment that followed, many Sikhs called on Giani Zail Singh to resign his post. On advice from Yogi Bhajan that the situation for Sikhs would only deteriorate if he were to quit, Zail Singh kept his position. However he was subsequently called before the Akal Takhat to apologize and explain his inaction at the descration of the holy site and killing of innocent Sikhs. At the death of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Zail Singh in his role as President appointed her surviving son, Rajiv Gandhi successor. Theirs was an uneasy relationship[citation needed]. Giani Zail Singh served as President of India until 1987.[8]

[edit] DeathWhenever Giani Zail Singh was in Punjab or close to it, he rarely missed a chance of paying his respects at the shrine of Anandpur Sahib. On one such pilgrimage, he was involved in a serious auto crash near Kiratpur Sahib in Ropar district on 29 November 1994. He subsequently died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Chandigarh on 25 December 1994 and was cremated at Ekta Sthal in the Raj Ghat area.[9]

R. Venkataraman

Ramaswamy Venkataraman

8th President of India

In office25 July 1987 – 25 July 1992

Prime Minister

Rajiv Gandhi,V. P. Singh,Chandra Shekhar,P. V. Narasimha Rao

Vice President Shankar Dayal Sharma

Preceded by Zail Singh

Succeeded by Shankar Dayal Sharma

7th Vice-President of India

In office31 August 1984 – 27 July 1987

President Giani Zail Singh

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,

Rajiv Gandhi

Preceded by Muhammad Hidayat Ullah

Succeeded by Shankar Dayal Sharma

Defence Minister of India

In office1982 – 30 August 1984

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Finance Minister of India

In office1980–1982

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Minister of Industries, Labour, Cooperation, Power, Transport and Commercial Taxes (Madras state)

In office1957–1967

PremierK. Kamaraj,M. Bhaktavatsalam

Member of Parliamentfor Madras South

In office1977–1984

Prime MinisterMorarji Desai,Charan Singh,Indira Gandhi

Preceded by Murasoli Maran

Succeeded by Dr. Vyjayantimala Bali

Member of Parliamentfor Thanjavur

In office1951–1957

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru

Preceded by None

Succeeded by Vairavar Thevar

Member of the Constituent Assembly of India

In office1946–1951

Born4 December 1910Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

Died27 January 2009 (aged 98)New Delhi, India

Political party Indian National Congress

Spouse(s) Janaki Venkataraman

Occupation lawyer

Religion Hindu

Ramaswamy Venkataraman (Tamil: ராமசுவாமி வெவங்கட்ராமன்) (4 December 1910 – 27 January 2009[1]) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union minister and as the eighth President of India.[2]

Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Tanjore district, Madras Presidency. He studied law and practised in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In his young age, he was an activist of the Indian independence movement and participated in the Quit India Movement. He was appointed member of the Constituent Assembly and the provisional cabinet. He was elected to Lok Sabha four times and served as Union Finance Minister and

Defence Minister. In 1984, he was elected the seventh Vice-President of India and in 1987, he became the 8th President of India and served from 1987 to 1992. He also served as a State minister under K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam.

Contents[hide]

1 Early life 2 Political career

o 2.1 As Minister of Industries

3 Honours and accolades

4 Death

5 Works

6 Books on R. Venkataraman

7 Notes

8 References

9 External links

[edit] Early lifeVenkataraman was born in Rajamadam village near in Pattukottai, near Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu. He had his school education in National College Higher Secondary School at Trichy.

Educated locally and in the city of Madras (now Chennai), Venkataraman obtained his Master Degree in Economics from Madras University. He later qualified in Law from the Law College, Madras. Venkataraman was enrolled in the Madras High Court in 1935 and in the Supreme Court in 1951 [3]

While practicing law, Venkataraman was drawn into the movement for India's freedom from Britain's colonial subjugation. His active participation in the Indian National Congress's celebrated resistance to the British Government, the Quit India Movement of 1942, resulted in his detention for two years under the Defence of India Rules. Venkataraman's interest in the law continued during this period. In 1946, when the transfer of power from British to Indian hands was imminent, the Government of India included him in the panel of lawyers sent to Malaya and Singapore to defend Indian nationals charged with offences of collaboration during the Japanese occupation of those two places. In the years 1947 to 1950, Venkataraman served as Secretary of the Madras Provincial Bar Federation.

Venkataraman acquired, early in his legal career, an abiding interest in the law pertaining to labour. On his release from prison in 1944, he took up the Organisation of the Labour Section of the Tamil Nadu Provincial Congress Committee. He founded, in 1949, the Labour Law Journal which publishes important decisions pertaining to labour and is an acknowledged specialist publication. He came to be intimately associated with trade union activity, founding or leading several unions, including those for plantation workers, estate staff, dock-workers, railway workers and working journalists.

[edit] Political career

Law and trade union activity led to Venkataraman's increasing association with politics. He was the member of constituent assembly that drafted India's constitution. In 1950 he was elected to free India's Provisional Parliament (1950–1952) and to the First Parliament (1952–1957). During his term of legislative activity, Venkataraman attended the 1952 Session of the Metal Trades Committee of International Labour Organisation as a workers' delegate. He was a member of the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in New Zealand. Venkataraman was also Secretary to the Congress Parliamentary Party in 1953-1954.

Although re-elected to Parliament in 1957, Venkataraman resigned his seat in the Lok Sabha to join the State Government of Madras as a Minister. There Shri Venkataraman held the portfolios of Industries, Labour, Cooperation, Power, Transport and Commercial Taxes from 1957 to 1967. During this time, he was also Leader of the Upper House, namely, the Madras Legislative Council.

[edit] As Minister of Industries

Venkataraman was appointed a Member of the Union Planning Commission in 1967 and was entrusted the subjects of Industry, Labour, power, Transport, Communications, Railways. He held that office until 1971. In 1977, Venkataraman was elected to the Lok Sabha from Madras (South) Constituency and served as an Opposition Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

Venkataraman was also, variously, a member of the Political Affairs Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee of the Union Cabinet; Governor, International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Asian Development Bank. Venkataraman was a Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1961. He was Leader of the Indian Delegation to the 42nd Session of the International Labour Conference at Geneva (1958) and represented India in the Inter Parliamentary Conference in Vienna (1978). He was a member of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal from 1955 to 1979 and was its President from 1968 to 1979.

In 1980, Venkataraman was re-elected to the Lok Sabha and was appointed Union Minister of Finance in the Government headed by Smt. Indira Gandhi. He was later appointed Union Minister of Defence, here he is credited for initiating India's missile programme, he shifted A P J Abdul Kalam from space programme to the missile programme, and consolidated the entire missile system, naming it as Integrated Guided Missile Development Program [4]. Later he was to serve as Vice-President of India and then as a President of India starting 1987, where he had the unique distinction working with four prime ministers, and appointing three of them: V P Singh, Chandra Shekhar and P V Narasimha Rao, during his five-year term, which saw the advent of coalition politics in India [5][6].

[edit] Honours and accoladesVenkataraman received the Doctorate of Law (Honoris Causa) from University of Madras, the Doctorate of Law (Honoris Causa) from Nagarjuna University. He is Honorary Fellow, Madras Medical College; Doctor of Social Sciences, University of Roorkee; Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) from University of Burdwan. He was awarded The Tamra Patra for participation in the freedom struggle, the Soviet Land Prize for his travelogue on K. Kamaraj's visit to the Socialist countries. He was the recipient of a Souvenir from the Secretary-General of the United Nations for distinguished service as President of the U.N. Administrative Tribunal. The title of "Sat Seva Ratna" was conferred on him by His Holiness the Sankaracharya of Kancheepuram.

[edit] DeathOn 12 January 2009, Venkataraman was admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital with complaints of Urosepsis (a toxic condition caused by the extravasation of urine into bodily tissues).[7] His condition grew critical on 20 January, when he was detected with low blood pressure and E. coli tract infection.

Venkataraman died at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi on 27 January 2009 at 1430 IST[7] due to multiple organ failure at the age of 98.[8]

With Venkataraman's death, Abdul Kalam became the only surviving former President of India.

[edit] Works Role of Planning in Industrial Development, by Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Govt. of India Press,

1969. The Role of a Private Member of Parliament, by Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Harold Laski Institute of

Political Science, 1986.

My Presidential Years - R Venkataraman, by R Venkataraman. 1995. HarperCollins/Indus. ISBN 8172232020.

R. Venkataraman on Contemporary Issues, by Ramaswami Venkataraman, K. Venkatasubramanian. Published by Variant Communications, 1996.

Relevance of Gandhi: And Other Essays, by K Swaminathan, Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Gandhigram Trust, 1998.

[edit] Books on R. Venkataraman President R. Venkataraman, by Nand Gopal Chaudhry. Published by Manas Publications, 1987. ISBN 8170490189. The Great Humanist Ramaswami Venkataraman, by Attar Chand. Published by Gian Pub. House, 1987. ISBN

8121201063.

So May India be Great: Selected Speeches and Writings of President R. Venkataraman, by Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1990.

Selected Speeches, 1984–87, 10 September 1984-14 May 1987: 10 September 1984-14 May 1987, by Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1991.

President R. Venkataraman Selected Speeches: July 1987-December 1989., by Ramaswami Venkataraman. Published by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1991.