Dr Zakir Hussain

Dr Zakir Hussain
India Post, Government of India · GODL-India · source
Name	Zakir Hussain
Birth date	8 February 1897
Birth place	Hyderabad, British India
Death date	3 May 1969
Death place	New Delhi, India
Occupation	Educator; politician; scholar
Known for	Third President of India; Jamia Millia Islamia; Aligarh Muslim University

Dr Zakir Hussain was an Indian educator, scholar, and statesman who became the third President of India. A prominent figure in Indian independence movement, Indian politics and Indian education, he combined roles in academic institutions, cultural organizations, and national institutions.

Early life and education

Zakir Hussain was born in Hyderabad State in 1897 into a family with connections to Deccan cultural life and the Nizam of Hyderabad. He pursued formal studies at Aligarh Muslim University, where he encountered figures from the Aligarh Movement and contemporaries associated with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Hussain later studied at University of Oxford and engaged with intellectual currents linked to Rabindranath Tagore, Gandhians, and Progressive Writers' Movement. His early influences included educators and reformers associated with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and Allama Iqbal.

Academic and scholarly career

Hussain held posts at institutions such as Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, collaborating with educators from Shivaji, Zakaria, C. Rajagopalachari, and members of Indian National Congress educational initiatives. He served as Vice-Chancellor at Jamia Millia Islamia, interacting with trustees like Abdul Aleem and colleagues influenced by Tagore's Shantiniketan, Santiniketan, and the Bengal Renaissance. Hussain's work intersected with scholars from Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of London, and contemporaries such as K. R. Narayanan, M. A. Jinnah (note: Mohammad Ali Jinnah), V. K. Krishna Menon, S. Radhakrishnan, and C. D. Deshmukh. His academic output connected with institutions like Banaras Hindu University, Punjab University, University of Calcutta, and cultural bodies including Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Political career and presidency

Active in national politics, Hussain participated in events tied to the Indian National Congress and national leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad, and C. Rajagopalachari. He was appointed Governor of Bihar before elevation to the presidency. As President of India he worked within constitutional frameworks established by the Constituent Assembly of India and engaged with international interlocutors from United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States, France, and leaders like Nikita Khrushchev, John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, and Gamal Abdel Nasser. His tenure related to national crises involving figures such as Sheikh Abdullah, Morarji Desai, V. P. Singh, and events shaped by treaties like the Indo-Pakistani Treaty precedents and regional dynamics including Bangladesh Liberation War antecedents.

Educational and cultural contributions

Hussain championed institutions including Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, and cultural organizations like the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, and National School of Drama. He collaborated with cultural figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, B. R. Ambedkar, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Mulk Raj Anand, Munshi Premchand, Amrita Pritam, Zohra Sehgal, and musicians from Hindustani classical music circles including Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Hussain promoted adult literacy campaigns linked to programs associated with UNESCO, NCERT, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and educational reforms discussed at forums with Kothari Commission participants and leaders like D. S. Kothari.

Personal life and family

Hussain's family connections included ties to prominent families from Hyderabad State and contemporaries in academic and political circles such as Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali, Zakaria, and administrators from Nizam's government. His personal correspondence engaged with international scholars at Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University, and with diplomats from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka including figures like Liaquat Ali Khan and B. C. Roy. Family members were involved in educational and cultural pursuits linked to institutions such as All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Legacy and honors

Hussain's legacy endures through institutions that bear his influence, including named chairs and centers at Jamia Millia Islamia, commemorative programs at Aligarh Muslim University, and awards administered by bodies like Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi. He received honors that align with recognitions from Padma Vibhushan-level circles and was commemorated alongside leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Rajendra Prasad, and Indira Gandhi. Monuments and memorials in New Delhi, Hyderabad, and campuses tied to Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University mark his contributions; scholarly works on his life appear in publications from Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Penguin Books, and national presses. His impact is invoked in discussions by historians and commentators associated with Ranbir Singh, Ramachandra Guha, Bipan Chandra, K. N. Panikkar, and institutions such as Centre for Historical Studies.

Category:Presidents of India Category:Indian educators Category:1897 births Category:1969 deaths