Dr Zakir Husain was the President of India during 1967-1969. He was an outstanding scholar who popularized the Gandhian scheme in basic national education. He believed in democracy with individual freedom and self-discipline.
Zakir Husain was born in
Hyderabad on February 8, 1897. He had his education in Uttar Pradesh. Tall and well-built, he had an impressive personality. He was always associated with learning and culture. Zakir Husain translated Plato's ‘Republic’ into
Urdu. He got his doctorate in Economics from the University of Berlin, Germany in 1962. Zakir Husain was one of the founder members of the Jamia Milia Islamia University at New Delhi. He also served as its Vice-Chancellor.
Zakir Husain was awarded the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ in 1954 and the ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1963, by the Indian Government. He had been the recipient of academic honors from various Indian Universities. He was a member of the first Indian Universities Commission and the Rajya Sabha. He was also a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO from 1956 to 1958. In 1962 he was elected Vice President of India. He became the third President of India on May 9, 1967. He died while in office on May 3, 1969.
