In news : Recently, the President of India paid homage to former President Dr Zakir Hussain on the occasion of his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan
A brief note on Dr Zakir Hussain(8 February 1897 – 3 May 1969)
- He was an Indian economist and politician who served as the third President of India
- He was born on February 8, 1897 in Hyderabad,India.
- He was a Pashtun Muslim from Punjab who hailed from the Kheshgi and Afridi tribe.
- He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1963.
Political life
- He served as the third President of India, from 13 May 1967 until his death o n 3 May 1969.
- He previously served as Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962 and as Vice President of India from 1962 to 1967.
- He was the the first Muslim to hold the largely ceremonial position of President of India and First Indian President to die in office
- In 1956–58 he served on the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Role in Indian Education & Jamia Millia Islamia
- Husain responded to the nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi’s appeal to Indian youth to shun state-supported institutions
- Under Husain, Jamia became closely associated with the Indian freedom movement
- He helped found the Muslim National University in Aligarh (later moved to New Delhi) and served as its vice-chancellor from 1926 to 1948.
- Under Husain, Jamia became closely associated with the Indian freedom movement
- At Gandhi’s invitation, he also became chairman of the National Committee on Basic Education, established in 1937 to design a Gandhian syllabus for schools.
