Project On Rajendra Prasad

Rajendra Prasad (born Rajendra Prasad Srivastava; 3 December 1884 – 28 February
1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the
first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress
during the Indian independence movement and became a major leader from the region
of Bihar and Maharashtra. A supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad was imprisoned by
British authorities during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 and the Quit India movement
of 1942.[1] After the constituent assembly 1946 elections, Prasad served as 1st
Minister of Food and Agriculture in the central government from 1947 to 1948. Upon
independence in 1947, Prasad was elected as President of the Constituent Assembly
of India, which prepared the Constitution of India and which served as its
provisional Parliament.
When India became a republic in 1950, Prasad was elected as its first president by
the Constituent Assembly. As president, Prasad established a tradition for non-
partisanship and independence for the office-bearer and retired from Congress party
politics. Although a ceremonial head of state, Prasad encouraged the development of
education in India and advised government on several occasions. In 1957, Prasad was
re-elected to the presidency, becoming the only president to serve two full terms.
Prasad stayed in office for the longest term of around 12 years. Post the
completion of his tenure, he quit the Congress and set up new guidelines for
parliamentarians which are still followed.
Early life
Prasad was born on 3 December 1884 in a Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha family in
Ziradei, Bihar.[2][3] His father, Mahadev Sahay Srivastava, was a scholar of both
Sanskrit and Persian languages. His mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout woman
who would tell stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata to her son. He was the
youngest child and had one elder brother and three elder sisters. His mother died
when he was a child, and his elder sister then took care of him.[4][5][6][7]
Student life
After the completion of traditional elementary education, he was sent to the
Chhapra District School. Meanwhile, in June 1896, at the early age of 12, he was
married to Rajavanshi Devi. He, along with his elder brother, Mahendra Prasad
Srivastava, then went to study at T.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna for a period of two
years. He secured first in the entrance examination to the University of Calcutta
and was awarded Rs. 30 per month as a scholarship.
Prasad joined the Presidency College, Calcutta in 1902, initially as a science

student. He passed the F. A. under the University of Calcutta in March 1904 and
then graduated with a first division from there in March 1905.[8] Impressed by his
intellect, an examiner once commented on his answer sheet that the "examinee is
better than examiner".[9] Later he decided to focus on the study of arts and did
his M.A. in Economics with a first division from the University of Calcutta in
December 1907. There he lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A devoted
student as well as a public activist, he was an active member of The Dawn Society.
[10] It was due to his sense of duty towards his family and education that he
refused to join Servants of India Society, as it was during that time when his
mother had died as well as his sister became a widow at the age of nineteen and had
to return to her parents' home. Prasad was instrumental in the formation of the
Bihari Students Conference in 1906 in the hall of Patna College. It was the first
organisation of its kind in India and produced[11] important leaders from Bihar
like Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Krishna Singh who played a prominent role in the
Champaran Movement and Non-cooperation Movement.
Career
As a teacher
(Sitting L to R) Prasad and Anugrah Narayan Sinha during Mahatma Gandhi's 1917
Champaran Satyagraha
Prasad served in various educational institutions as a teacher. After completing
his M.A in economics, he became a professor of English at the Langat Singh College
of Muzaffarpur in Bihar and went on to become the principal. However, later on he
left the college to undertake legal studies and entered the Ripon College, Calcutta
(now the Surendranath Law College). In 1909, while pursuing his law studies in
Kolkata he also worked as Professor of Economics at Calcutta City College.[12]
As a lawyer
In 1915, Prasad appeared in the examination of masters in law from the Department
of Law, University of Calcutta, passed the examination and won a gold medal. He
completed his Doctorate in Law from Allahabad University. In 1916, he joined the
High Court of Bihar and Odisha. In 1917, he was appointed as one of the first
members of the Senate and of the Patna University. He also practised law at
Bhagalpur, the famous silk town in Bihar.
Role in the freedom Movement

Prasad had a major role in the Independence Movement. Prasad's first association
with Indian National Congress was during 1906 annual session organised in Calcutta,
where he participated as a volunteer, while studying in Calcutta. Formally, he
joined the Indian National Congress in the year 1911, when the annual session was
again held in Calcutta.[13] During the Lucknow Session of Indian National Congress
held in 1916, he met Mahatma Gandhi. During one of the fact-finding missions at
Champaran, Mahatma Gandhi asked him to come with his volunteers.[14] He was so
greatly moved by the dedication, courage and conviction of Mahatma Gandhi that as
soon as the motion of Non-Cooperation was passed by Indian National Congress in
1920, he retired from his lucrative career of lawyer as well as 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 enrol himself in Bihar Vidyapeeth, an institution he along with his colleagues
founded on the traditional Indian model.

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Rajendra Prasad (born Rajendra Prasad Srivastava; 3 December 1884 – 28 February

Prasad joined the Presidency College, Calcutta in 1902, initially as a science

Role in the freedom Movement

He also responded to the call by Gandhi to boycott Western educational

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