Rajendra Prasad

Born Dec. 3, 1884, in Zeradei, Bihar State; died Feb. 28, 1963, in Patna. Indian statesman and political figure.

The son of a landowner, Prasad was educated at the University of Calcutta. From 1911 to 1916 he was a lawyer for the Calcutta High Court, and from 1916 to 1920, for the Patna High Court. He joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1911. Prasad became an active Gandhian for the first time in 1917, during the satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) in the Champaran District of Bihar. From then on he was active in the national liberation movement of India. In 1934, 1939, and 1947–48, he was president of INC. He was imprisoned many times, the last time from 1942 to 1945.

From 1946 to January 1948, Prasad was a member of the Indian interim government, serving as minister for food and agriculture. From 1946 to 1950 he was chairman of the Indian Constituent Assembly. After India was proclaimed a republic in 1950, he was elected as interim president. Prasad was president of India from 1952 to 1962. In 1960 he paid an official visit to the USSR. He was made an honorary doctor of historical sciences by Moscow State University.