Dr. Rajendra Prasad (Hindi: डा॰ राजेन्द्र प्रसाद) (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was the youngest son of Mahadev Sahay from the village Ziradei, then the Saran district of Bihar. Dr. Prasad is considered to be one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of India.

During the independence movement, he left his law work and joined the Congress Party, playing a prominent role in the Indian Independence Movement. He served as the president of theConstituent Assembly that drafted the first constitution of the Republic, which lasted from 1948 to 1950. He also briefly served as a cabinet minister in the first Government of the Indian Republic.

He was a vegetarian ^[1].

Early life

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, son of Mahadev Sahai, was born in Zeradei village, in the Siwan district ofBihar, on 3 December 1884. He was the youngest in a large family, & was close to his mother and eldest brother. He was known as "Rajen" to his family and friends. His father, Mahadev Sahay, was a scholar of both the Persian and Sanskrit languages, while his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a religious woman. Zeradei's population was diverse, with both Muslims and Hindus living in relative harmony.

[edit]Student Life

When Rajendra Prasad was five years old, his parents put him under a Mawlawi, an accomplished Muslim scholar, to learn the Persian language, followed by Hindi and arithmetic. After the completion of traditional elementary education, Rajendra Prasad was sent to the Chhapra District School. At the age of 12, Rajendra Prasad was married to Rajavanshi Devi. He, along with his elder brother Mahendra Prasad, then went on to study at T.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna.

Since childhood, Rajendra Prasad was a brilliant student. He placed first in the entrance examination to the University of Calcutta and was awarded Rs.30 per month as a scholarship. In 1902, Rajendra Prasad joined the Presidency College. He was initially a student of science and his teachers included Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Roy. Later he decided to focus on the arts. Prasad lived with his brother in the Eden Hindu Hostel. A plaque still commemorates his stay in that room. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was instrumental in the formation of the Bihari Students' Conference in 1908. It was the first organization of its kind in the whole of India, which would later produce many of the important figures of Bihar.

In 1915, Rajendra Prasad graduated with a Masters in Law, passing his examination with honors. He then went on to complete his Doctorate in Law.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad डा॰ राजेन्द्र प्रसाद
1st President of India
In office 26 January 1950 – 13 May 1962
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Vice President	Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Born	3 December 1884 Jiradei, SiwanBihar, British India
Died	28 February 1963 (aged 78)