1) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963)
Term of Office: January 26, 1950 to May 13, 1962
Dr Rajendra Prasad was one of the architects of the Indian Republic and had played a crucial role in drafting the first Constitution of the country.
He served twice as the President of India (January 26, 1950-May 13, 1962). He is the only President of India who was elected twice to the post.
In 1962, he retired and returned to Patna where he stayed on the campus of Bihar Vidyapeeth. He was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award, in 1962.
2) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975)
Term of Office: May 13, 1962 to May 13, 1967
Dr Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962). Dr Radhakrishnan became the second President of India after Dr Rajendra Prasad retired in 1962.
One of India’s most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Dr Radhakrishnan is thought of as having built a bridge between the East and the West by showing that the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other.
His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921-1931) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University (1936-1952).
Among the many honours he received were a knighthood (1931), the Bharat Ratna (1954) and the Order of Merit in 1963. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teachers’ Day on September 5, every year.
3) Dr. Zakir Husain (1897-1969)
Term of Office: May 13, 1967 to May 3, 1969
Dr Zakir Hussain was the third President of India from May 13, 1967, until his death on May 3, 1969.
He was the first Muslim President of India. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1963.
4) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975)
Term of Office: May 13, 1962 to May 13, 1967
Dr Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President of India (1952–1962). Dr Radhakrishnan became the second President of India after Dr Rajendra Prasad retired in 1962.
One of India’s most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Dr Radhakrishnan is thought of as having built a bridge between the East and the West by showing that the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other.
His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921-1931) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University (1936-1952).
Among the many honours he received were a knighthood (1931), the Bharat Ratna (1954) and the Order of Merit in 1963. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teachers’ Day on September 5, every year.
5) Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1894-1980)
Term of Office: May 3, 1969 to July 20, 1969, and August 24, 1969 to August 24, 1974
A prolific writer and a good orator, Dr VV Giri was elected as the third Vice President of India in 1967.
However, he became acting President of India in 1969 upon the death of then President Dr Zakir Hussain.
He later contested for the post in the ensuing election and won. He served as President of India till 1974 and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1975.
Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1905-1977)
Term of Office: August 24, 1974 to February 11, 1977
Picked for presidency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974, Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the second Muslim to be elected as President. He took office on August 20, 1974.
He okayed the promulgation of the Emergency in 1975.
He is well known among Indian diplomats for his visit to Sudan in 1975 where the whole town showed up to see him.
He died on February 11, 1977, becoming the second Indian President to die in office.
6) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1913-1996)
Term of Office: July 25, 1977 to July 25, 1982
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the sixth–and the youngest–President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982 and was the only person to be elected President of India unopposed.
Regarded as one of the best speakers ever in the Lok Sabha, he had said that he would not remain a “rubber stamp President” and proved himself to be most dynamic President of India.
7) Giani Zail Singh (1916-1994)
Term of Office: July 25, 1982 to July 25, 1987
The seventh President of India serving from 1982 to 1987, Giani Zail Singh’s term was marked by Operation Bluestar, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
At the time of his election, some in the media had felt that he had been chosen for being an Indira Gandhi loyalist.
After Operation Bluestar, fearing that it would aggravate the situation, he decided against resigning from the post of President.
He was called before the Akal Takht to apologise and explain his inaction following the desecration of the Harmandir Sahib and the killing of innocent Sikhs.
8) R Venkataraman (1910-2009)
Term of Office: July 25, 1987 to July 25, 1992
A lawyer by qualification and an Independence activist and politician, R Venkataraman became the eight President of India in 1987 after Giani Zail Singh.
He is the only President of India who has worked with four prime ministers and appointing three of them: V P Singh, Chandra Shekhar and P V Narasimha Rao, during his five-year term, which saw the advent of coalition politics in India.
9) Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918-1999)
Term of Office: July 25, 1992 to July 25, 1997
He was the ninth President of India serving from 1992 to 1997.
Prior to his presidency, Dr Sharma was the eighth Vice President of India, serving under President R Venkataraman.
10) KR Narayan
Term of Office: July 25, 1997 to July 25, 2002
He was the Tenth President of India serving from 1997 to 2002.
11) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (b – 1931)
Term of Office: July 25, 2002 to July 25, 2007
A renowned aerospace engineer, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002. During his term as President, he was popularly known as the People’s President.
He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997.
He has also been a professor (of aerospace engineering) and is the first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (IIST).
12) Pratibha Patil (born December 19, 1934)
Term of office (2007 – Till date)
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of India and holds the distinction of being the first woman to hold the office.