The Indian President who once received a note saying he outperformed his own examiner

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Rajendra Prasad was a brilliant scholar and lawyer who became India's first president. Beyond his political legacy, his life was marked by a deep commitment to intellectual rigor and public service, from his early days as a top-ranked student to his long tenure leading a newly independent nation.

Born in 1884 in Ziradei, Rajendra Prasad displayed exceptional academic promise early on. While studying at the University of Calcutta, he consistently achieved first-division honors. His intellectual reputation was so formidable that one examiner famously remarked on his answer sheet that the examinee was superior to the examiner himself. Despite his early focus on science, he eventually pivoted to arts, earning a master's degree in economics in 1907 before pursuing a distinguished career in law, which included winning a gold medal in his master's examinations.

Prasad's path shifted dramatically after he met Mahatma Gandhi during the 1916 Lucknow Session of the Indian National Congress. Inspired by Gandhi's conviction, Prasad abandoned his lucrative legal practice in 1920 to join the Non-Cooperation Movement. His dedication to the cause led to multiple imprisonments, including during the 1930 Salt Satyagraha and the 1942 Quit India movement. Even while incarcerated, his intellectual output remained high; he wrote his autobiography, Atmakatha, during a three-year stint in Bankipur Central Jail.

In 1950, Prasad became the first President of India, a role he held for 12 years—the longest term of any Indian president to date. He established a precedent for presidential non-partisanship, retiring from Congress party politics upon taking office. His tenure was defined by a commitment to education and diplomatic outreach. After retiring in 1962, he returned to Patna, where he lived at the Bihar Vidyapeeth until his death in 1963. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, cementing his status as a foundational figure in the nation's history.

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