RajendraPrasadBiographyDrRajendraPrasadservedasthefirstPresidentofIndependentIndia. This biography offers detailed information about hischildhood,works,activitiesandtimeline.

QuickFactsNationality IndianReligion HinduismBornon 03December1884ADZodiacSign SagittariusBornin Ziradei,Siwan,BiharDiedon 28February1963ADPlaceofdeath Patna,BiharFather MahadevSahaiMother KamleshwariDevSpouse: RajvanshiDeviChildren MrityunjayaPrasadAwards BharatRatna

Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first president of independentIndia. His life has been truly inspiring for all Indians. A lawyerby training and an active Indian political leader, PrasadsinterestinIndianpoliticsbeganasearlyasin1911whenhetheIndian National Congress. Despite having a contention for theGandhian principles in the beginning, he later imbibed the truespirit ofGandhi by adopting him as hismentor, practicing self-discipline and working relentlessly in the non-cooperationmovement.He touredmany parts of the country, spreading theidealsandbeliefsofMahatmaGnadhi.Blessedwithremarkableorganisational capacity and leadership qualities, he thriceheadedtheIndianNationalCongress.WhenIndiafinallygainedindependence from the British rule, he took over as a cabinetminister, slowlymakinghisway to the chair of thePresident ofthe Constituent Assembly and later taking up the office ofIndias President for two terms. Other than his politicalactivities, he made several literary contributions as well. Hismost significant works are India Divided, Satyagraha atChamparan,AtmakathaandSinceIndependence.

Childhood&Early LifeRajendra Prasad was born to Mahadev Sahai andKamleshwariDeviatZeradei,intheSiwandistrictofBiharon December 3, 1884. He was the youngest kid of thefamily.While his father, a scholar of Persian and Sanskritlanguage,wasadawninginfluenceonyoungPrasadslifeand career, hismother took care of themoral upbringing,

teachinghimIndianmythology.A meritorious student, he received his early educationfrom Moulavi, an accomplished Muslim scholar, whotaughthimPersian,Hindiandarithmetic.He later studied at the Chapra District School and T.K.Ghosh's Academy in Patna. For higher education, hemoved toCalcuttawhere he secured a scholarship at thePresidencyCollege,foradegreeinscience.He later changed his stream of studies from science toarts,attaininghisMAinEconomicsin1907.It was while in college that he first became acquaintedwithTheDawnSocietyandhebecameanactivememberof the same. In 1906, he played a crucial role in theformationoftheBihariStudentsConference.Completing his education, he took up the job of aprofessor of English at the Langat Singh College inMuzaffarpurandwassoonwaspromotedastheprincipal.In 1908, he left his chair of the principal to pursue adegree in law at the Calcutta City College, where hedoubled up as a professor of Economics. In 1915, hegraduated with honors with a Masters degree in Law,winningagoldmedal.In1937,hecompletedhisDoctorateinLawfromAllahabadUniversityMeanwhilein1911,joinedtheIndianNationalCongress.

CareerUpon completing his legal studies, he took to working attheHighCourt of Bihar andOdisha in 1916.A year later,he was appointed as one of the first members of theSenateandSyndicateofthePatnaUniversity.He,alongwithhisvolunteers,renderedsupport toGandhiduring his fact-finding mission in Champaran district ofBihartoaddressthegrievancesoftheIndianpeasants.As soon as the Non-Cooperation Movement was passedby the Indian National Congress in 1920, he gave up onhis legal career as well as his university duties to enter

politics andwork towards Indias freedomstrugglewhole-heartedly.Heactivelyparticipatedinthenon-cooperationmovement,touring states, holding public meetings, collecting fundsand inciting people for boycotting everything western -fromschools,collegestoevengovernmentoffices.Aspartof themovement, he urged people to give up on westernclothesandadoptkhadi.Unlike others in the Indian Congress who misjudgedGandhijis suspensionof thecivil disobediencemovementdue to theviolent route that it had taken,hestoodbyhismentor. He even replicated Gandhis Salt Satyagraha inBiharforwhichhewasimprisoned.In 1934, he was elected the President of the IndianNational Congress during the Bombay session. After theresignationofSubhashChandraBoseasPresidentof theINC in1939,heagain tookup the responsibility.Hismainaim then was to mend the rift created in the IndianCongressduetotheideologicaldifferencesbetweenBoseandGandhi.In 1942, upon Congresss authorization of the Quit IndiaMovement, numerous Indian leaderswere imprisonedandhe was one amongst them. He stayed imprisoned at theBankipur Central Jail for three years until his release onJune15,1945.After India's independence from theBritish-Raj,heservedasoneofthecabinetministersoftheInterimGovernment,takingchargeoftheFoodandAgricultureDepartment.In December 1946, he was elected as the President ofConstituentAssembly,whichwasestablished to frame theConstitutionofIndia.OnJanuary26,1950,whentheConstitutionofIndianwasadopted, he was elected as Indias first President. Heserved in the position for two terms until 1962, thusbecoming the firstand theonlyPresidentof India tohavebeentwiceintheoffice.

During his role as the President of India, he adhered tothePresidentialdutiesandacted independentlyofpoliticsas expected by the President of India as per theConstitution.Heplayedanactiveroleinstateaffairs.During his presidency, he toured numerous countries onmission of goodwill such as Japan, Ceylon, USSR, Indo-China, Malaya and Indonesia. He looked forward toestablishingpeacefulrelationswithothercountries.In1962,afterserving for twelveyearsas thePresidentofIndia, he relinquished his duties as the President andmoved to Patna where he stayed at the campus of BiharVidyapeeth. He spent his last years of retirement at theSadaqatAshraminPatna.

Awards&AchievementsForhisunconditionalcontributionasaleaderoftheIndianNational Congress and as the President of India, he wasconferred with Indias highest civilian award - BharatRatna.

PersonalLife &LegacyHewasmarried to Rajavanshi Devi at the age of twelve.Thecouplewasblessedwithason-MrityunjayaPrasad.Hebreathedhis lastonFebruary28,1963at theSadaqatAshraminPatna.

Triv iaA Bharat Ratna recipient, he was the first President offree India and the only one to serve for two terms in theofficeofthePresident.