Essays

Dr. Rajendra Prasad (December 3, 1884 -February 28, 1963) was the first President of India. Prasad was born in Zeradei, in the Siwan district of Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahai, was A Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout lady who would tell stories from the Ramayana to her son.

At the age of five, the young Rajendra Prasad was sent to a Maulavi for learning Persian. After that he was sent to Chhapra Zilla School for further primary studies. He was married at the age of 12 to Rajvanshi Devi. He then went on to study at R.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna to bewitch his older brother Mahendra Prasad.

Soon afterward, however, he rejoined the Chhapra Zilla School, and it was from there that he passed the entrance examination of Calcutta University, at the age of 18. He stood first in the first division of that examination. He joined the Presidency College in 1902. He passed in l915 with a Gold medal in Masters in Law examination with honors. He went on to complete his Doctorate in Law.

Rajendra Prasad was a freedom-fighter and, as a leader of the Congress Party, played a prominent role in the Indian Independence Movement. He served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the constitution of the Republic from 1948 to l95o He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India. 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 in1939.

After India became independent he was elected the President of India. As the first President, he was independent and unwilling to allow the Prime Minister or the party to usurp his constitutional prerogatives. However, following the tussle over the enactment of the Hindu Code Bill, he moderated his stance. He set several important precedents for later Presidents to follow.

While Gandhiji was on a fact finding mission in Chamaparan district of Bihar to address grievances of local peasants, he called on Rajendra Prasad to come to Champaran with volunteers. Dr. Prasad rushed to Champaran. Initially he was not impressed with Gandhiji' appearance or conversation. In time, however, Dr. Prasad was deeply moved by the dedication, conviction and courage that Gandhiji displayed.

Here was a man alien of the parts, who had made the cause of the people of Champaran his own. Dr.Prasad decided that he would do everything he could to help, with his skills as a lawyer anodes an enthusiastic volunteer.

Gandhiji's influence greatly altered many of Dr. Prasad's views, most importantly on caste and un touch ability. Gandhiji made Dr. Prasad realize that the nation, working for a common cause, ‘became of one caste, namely co-workers." Dr. Prasad reduced the number of servants he had to one, and sought ways to simplify his life. He no longer felt shame in sweeping the floor, or washing his own utensils, tasks he had all along assumed others would do for him.

Whenever the people suffered Dr. Prasad was present to help reduce the pain. In 1914 floods ravaged Bihar and Bengal. Dr. Prasad became a volunteer distributing food and cloth to the flood victims. In 1934, Bihar was shaken by an earthquake, which caused immense damage and loss of property.

The quake, devastating by itself, was followed by floods and an outbreak of malaria which heightened misery. Dr. Prasad dove right in with relief work, collecting food, clothes and medicine His experiences here led to similar efforts elsewhere too.

 In i935 an earthquake hit Quetta. Dr. Prasad was not allowed to lend a hand because of Government restrictions. Nevertheless, he set up relief committees in Sind and Punjab for the homeless victims who flocked there.

Dr. Prasad called for non-cooperation in Bihar as part of Gandhiji's non-cooperation movement. Dr. Prasad gave up his law practice and started a National College near Patna, 1921.

In 1962, after 12 years as President, Dr. Prasad retired, and was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian award. With the many tumults of his vigorous and accomplished life, Dr. Prasad recorded his life and the decades before independence in many books, among the more noted of which are "Satyagraha at Champaran" (1922), "India Divided" (1946), his autobiography "Atmakatha" (1946), "Mahatma Gandhi and Bihar, Some Reminisences" (1949), and "Bapu ke Kadmon Mein" (1954).

Dr. Prasad spent the last few months of his life In retirement at the Sadaqat Ashram in Patna. He died on February 28, 1963. In her first citizen India had imagined a life of possibilities, and seen an unsurpassed dedication to making them real.