Who Was the First President of India?

Full Name: Dr. Rajendra Prasad Born: 3 December 1884, Ziradei, Bihar (then Bengal Presidency, British India) Died: 28 February 1963, Patna Term as President: 26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962 Number of terms: 2 (only President to serve two full terms)

Key Facts: • He was a leader of the Indian National Congress and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. • He was the President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution. • India's Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. • He was the first to receive the Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour) in 1962, the same year he retired. • He was a barrister and a freedom fighter who participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Salt Satyagraha. • After retirement, he spent his last days at the Sadaqat Ashram in Patna, Bihar.

Presidents of India in Order:

1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1950–1962) — first and longest-serving
2. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1962–1967) — first Vice President, then President; Teacher's Day (5 Sept) is his birthday
3. Dr. Zakir Husain (1967–1969) — first Muslim President; died in office
4. V. V. Giri (1969–1974)
5. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974–1977) — died in office
6. N. Sanjiva Reddy (1977–1982)
7. Giani Zail Singh (1982–1987) — first Sikh President
8. R. Venkataraman (1987–1992)
9. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992–1997)
10. K. R. Narayanan (1997–2002) — first Dalit President
11. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2002–2007) — Missile Man of India; most popular President
12. Pratibha Patil (2007–2012) — first woman President of India
13. Pranab Mukherjee (2012–2017)
14. Ram Nath Kovind (2017–2022) — second Dalit President
15. Droupadi Murmu (2022–present) — first tribal woman President