My
living too has been of such a simple nature that I do not require any special
equipment of comfort. The wealthier you become the more you require and
although people may think that they are satisfied with gold, those who know
anything know very well that happiness comes not from without but from within.
A poor man with his few rupees is more contented than a rich man with his
millions. The greatest men of the world have been the poorest. - Dr. Rajendra Prasad, in a
letter written at the age of 26.
Dr.
Rajendra Prasad (b. 3 December 1884 d. 28 February 1963) was the first
President of the Republic of India. An Indian political leader, lawyer by
training, Prasad joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian
independence movement and became a major leader from the region of Bihar. A
supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad was imprisoned by British authorities
during the Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and the Quit India movement of 1942. Prasad
served one term as President of the Indian National Congress from 1934 to 1935.
After the 1946 elections, Prasad served as minister of food and agriculture in
the central government. Upon independence in 1947, Prasad was elected president
of the Constituent Assembly of India, which prepared the Constitution of India
and served as its provisional parliament. When India became a Republic in 1950,
Prasad was elected its first President by the Constituent Assembly. Following
the general election of 1951, he was elected President by the electoral college
of the first Parliament of India and its state legislatures. As President,
Prasad established a tradition of 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 the Nehru government on several occasions. In 1957, Prasad was
re-elected to the presidency, becoming the only president to have been in the
office twice.
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