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Born on 13 May 1905 at
Hauz Qazi area of old Delhi, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the
fifth President of the Indian Republic grew up in the
thick of India's freedom struggle.
Fakhruddin matriculated from Delhi Government High
School and proceeded to England for higher education in
1913 where he joined Cambridge University and was called
to the Bar from the Inner Temple of London. On his
return to India in 1928, he started legal practice in
the Lahore High Court.
In 1925 he met Jawaharlal Nehru whose progressive ideas
impressed him deeply. In 1931 he became a primary member
of Congress and actively participated in the freedom
movement. He offered individual Satyagraha on 14
December 1940 for which he was imprisoned for a year. In
1942 he was arrested in the Quit India movement and
sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
He occupied several positions in the Congress. He was a
member of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee from 1936
and of AICC from 1947 to 74. He was elected to the Assam
Assembly and became the Minister of Finance, Revenue and
labour in the 1938 Bardoloi Ministry. His initiative in
introducing the Assam Agricultural Income-tax Bill and
his pro-labour policies earned him popularity and
established his acumen and ability in the administrative
sphere.
After independence he was elected to the Assam Assembly
for two consecutive terms--1957-62 and 1962-67. He had
earlier been elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1952-53.
Jawaharlal Nehru asked him to join his cabinet in
January 1966. Ahmed was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971
and held portfolios relating to Food and Agriculture,
Education, Industrial Development and Company Laws.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was elected to the Presidentship of
the Indian Republic on 20 August 1974, and died in
office on 11 February 1977. His was a multifaceted
personality. His deep interest in sports, music, fine
arts and poetry was well known.
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