Few leaders have embodied India’s ideals as profoundly as Dr. Rajendra Prasad. From galvanizing the freedom fight to helming the republic’s formative years, his commitment to simplicity amid grandeur remains legendary.
Ziradei’s soil nurtured a scholar-statesman. Father’s academic influence sparked early genius: Persian at five, excellence in Chapra and Presidency College, culminating in elite degrees and legal triumphs. Success in courts was fleeting; nationalism beckoned.
Enthralled by Gandhi, he plunged into 1920’s agitations, leading pivotal campaigns and facing incarcerations with resolve. Congress helm multiple times, Constituent Assembly chair—his fingerprints are on independent India’s foundation. First President from 1950-1962, he also served in early cabinets.
Rashtrapati Bhavan saw no pomp under him. He took minimal pay, self-reliant in tasks, gift-averse. Retirement brought no concessions; frail, he chose ancestral simplicity in Patna over luxury care. Death came February 28, 1963, at Bihar Vidyapeeth.
Honored with Bharat Ratna, Deshratna’s life—khadi, vegetarianism, devotion—mirrors Gandhian ethos. His preserved ashram room inspires. Today, we celebrate a pioneer whose humility fortified democracy.