Republic of India
India, 1947 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
In 1947 the British Indian Empire was partitioned into the independent dominions of a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. The partition brought large-scale loss of life and unprecedented migration. The Constitution of India was adopted in 1950 and declared India to be a federal republic governed through a democratic parliamentary system. Economic reforms of the 1990s integrated India's economy with the world's.
Seat of power: New Delhi
Rulers
Jawaharlal Nehru
Prime Minister of India, 1947–1964
Upon India's independence in 1947, he served as the country's first prime minister, holding office for 16 years 286 days. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s. In foreign affairs, he led the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that did not seek membership in the two main ideological blocs of the Cold War.
Rajendra Prasad
President of India, 1950–1962
When India became a republic in 1950, Prasad was elected as its first president by the Constituent Assembly. As president, Prasad established a tradition for 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 government on several occasions.
Portrait of Rajendra Prasad: Archives New Zealand from New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
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Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
President of India, 1962–1967
He was elected as the first Vice President of India in 1952 and as the second President of India. When Radhakrishnan became the President of India, his students and friends asked to celebrate his birthday, on 5 September, and he asked instead that September 5th be observed as Teachers' Day. His birthday has since been celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.
Portrait of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: White House, Public domain, file
V. V. Giri
President of India, 1969–1974
Following the death in office of President Zakir Husain on 3 May 1969, Giri was sworn in as acting president the same day. Immediately before resigning, Giri, in his capacity as acting president, promulgated an ordinance that nationalised 14 banks and insurance companies.
Portrait of V. V. Giri: Vice President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
President of India, 1974–1977
As President, Ahmed imposed The Emergency in June 1975 and gave his assent to numerous ordinances and constitutional amendments drafted by Indira Gandhi to rule by decree. His reputation was tarnished by his support for the Emergency, and his presidency has been described as a rubber stamp.
Portrait of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed: President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
President of India, 1977–1982
He was elected unopposed as president of India. As president, Reddy worked with prime ministers Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, and Indira Gandhi.
Portrait of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy: Bhavanajagat , Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Zail Singh
President of India, 1982–1987
He was the first Sikh as also the first person from a backward caste to become president. Singh was known for his loyalty to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and had remarked that he would pick up a broom and become a sweeper if she were to ask him to do so.
Portrait of Zail Singh: President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
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R. Venkataraman
President of India, 1987–1992
He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and served as Union Finance Minister and Defence Minister. In 1984 he was elected as the vice president of India, and in 1987 he became the president, serving until 1992.
Portrait of R. Venkataraman: India Post, Government of India, GODL-India, file
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Shankar Dayal Sharma
President of India, 1992–1997
Sharma was elected president of India in 1992 and served till 1997, during which period he dealt with four prime ministers, three of whom he appointed in the last year of his presidency. His appointment of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister on the grounds of him being the leader of the largest party in the Parliament attracted widespread criticism, especially as Vajpayee was forced to resign in only thirteen days without facing a vote of confidence.
Portrait of Shankar Dayal Sharma: India Post, Government of India, GODL-India, file
K. R. Narayanan
President of India, 1997–2002
Narayanan went on to become president in 1997 and became the first Dalit to occupy either position. Narayanan is regarded as an independent and assertive president who set several precedents and enlarged the scope of the presidency. In the general election of 1998, he became the first Indian president to vote when in office, setting another new precedent.
Portrait of K. R. Narayanan: Government of India, GODL-India, file
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
President of India, 2002–2007
Kalam was elected as the president of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress. He was widely referred to as the People's President.
Portrait of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: Government of India, GODL-India, file
Pratibha Patil
President of India, 2007–2012
She was the first woman to become the president of India. She also served as the Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007 and was a member of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996.
Portrait of Pratibha Patil: President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
Pranab Mukherjee
President of India, 2012–2017
He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the office. As of July 2015, he had rejected 24 mercy pleas, including those of Yakub Memon, Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru.
Portrait of Pranab Mukherjee: President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
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Ram Nath Kovind
President of India, 2017–2022
He is the first person from Uttar Pradesh as well as the first member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become the president of India. Kovind in his tenure administered oath of office to three Chief Justices of India and 29 other judges of Supreme Court of India.
Portrait of Ram Nath Kovind: The Rashtrapati Bhavan, GODL-India, file
Droupadi Murmu
President of India, 2022 to today
She is the first person belonging to a tribal community and also the second woman, after Pratibha Patil, to hold the office. Murmu addressed the nation for the first time as president on 14 August 2022, the eve of the 75th Independence Day.
Portrait of Droupadi Murmu: President's Secretariat, GODL-India, file
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Culture
- The reorganization of states in 1956 along linguistic lines institutionalised regional language pride and led to the growth of regional literature and cinema.
- During the 1970s, India reversed agricultural stagnation through the Green Revolution, achieving national food security.
- India's population grew from 361 million in 1951 to approximately 1.464 billion in 2025.
- Challenges remain, including widening income gaps, gender inequality and environmental degradation.
Picture
The India Gate in New Delhi is a war memorial to 74,187 soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the First World War.
Image: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.