Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
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| 5th President of India | |
| In office 24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977 |
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| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Vice President | B. D. Jatti Gopal Swarup Pathak |
| Preceded by | V. V. Giri |
| Succeeded by | B. D. Jatti (acting) |
| Minister of Food and Agriculture | |
| In office 27 June 1970 – 3 July 1974 |
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| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Jagjivan Ram |
| Succeeded by | C. Subramaniam |
| Minister of Industrial Development, Internal Trade and Company Affairs | |
| In office 13 March 1967 – 27 June 1970 |
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| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Damodaram Sanjivayya |
| Succeeded by | Dinesh Singh |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 13 November 1966 – 12 March 1967 |
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| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | M. C. Chagla |
| Succeeded by | Triguna Sen |
| Minister of Irrigation and Power | |
| In office 29 January 1966 – 13 November 1966 |
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| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | K. L. Rao |
| Succeeded by | K. L. Rao |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 3 April 1966 – 25 February 1967 |
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| Constituency | Assam |
| In office 3 April 1954 – 25 March 1957 |
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| Constituency | Assam |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1967-1974 |
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| Preceded by | Renuka Devi Barkataki |
| Succeeded by | Ismail Hossain Khan |
| Constituency | Barpeta |
| Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1937–1946 |
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| Prime Minister | Muhammed Saadulah |
| Succeeded by | Moulvi Abdul Hai |
| Constituency | Kamrup (North) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 May 1905 Delhi, British India (present-day India) |
| Died | 11 February 1977 (aged 71) New Delhi, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Begum Abida Ahmed |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
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| Profession |
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Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (born May 13, 1905 – died February 11, 1977) was an Indian lawyer and politician. He served as the fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.
Born in Delhi, Ahmed studied in Delhi and Cambridge, England. He became a lawyer in London in 1928. After returning to India, he practiced law in Lahore and then in Guwahati. He became the top lawyer for Assam in 1946.
Ahmed joined the Indian National Congress party in the 1930s. He served as a minister in Assam's government several times. Later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made him a cabinet minister in 1966. He was in charge of important areas like Power, Irrigation, Industries, and Agriculture until 1974. In 1974, he was elected President of India.
As president, Ahmed declared a National Emergency in August 1975. This allowed the government to make quick decisions and limit some public freedoms. He passed many new laws and changes to the Constitution during this time.
Ahmed passed away in February 1977. He was given a state funeral and is buried near Parliament House in New Delhi. He was the second Muslim to become President of India and the second president to die while in office.
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Early Life and Family
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born in Delhi on May 13, 1905. His grandfather, Kaliluddin Ali Ahmed, was a respected Islamic scholar. His father, Colonel Zalnur Ali, was a doctor. He was one of the first medical graduates from Assam.
Ahmed's mother, Sahibzadi Ruqaiyya Sultan, was the daughter of the Nawab of Loharu. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was one of ten children in his family.
Education and Law Career
Ahmed went to Government High Schools in Gonda and Delhi. From 1921 to 1922, he attended St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Then, he went to England to study at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He finished his history studies in 1927.
In 1928, he became a lawyer from the Inner Temple, London. He returned to India that same year. He first practiced law at the Lahore High Court. In 1930, he moved to Guwahati. There, he worked as a junior lawyer. Later, he became the top lawyer for Assam. He also helped start the Bar Association of the Assam High Court in 1948.
Joining the Indian National Congress
Ahmed joined the Indian National Congress party in 1931. This was a very important political party in India. He was a member of different committees within the Congress party from 1936 onwards. He also served on the main Working Committee of the All India Congress Committee from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1964 to 1974.
Before India became independent, Ahmed was elected to the legislative assembly of Assam in 1937. He was a minister for Finance, Revenue, and Labour from 1938 to 1939. He introduced new taxes to help the state's finances. These taxes included an agricultural income tax and a sales tax.
During World War II, Ahmed was arrested and imprisoned for a year. This was because he followed Gandhi's call for peaceful protest. In 1942, he was arrested again during the Quit India Movement. He was held as a security prisoner for three more years.
Ahmed did not support the idea of dividing India to create Pakistan. After the 1946 elections, he became the top lawyer for Assam. He held this position until 1952.
Career in Independent India
In 1954, Ahmed was elected to the Rajya Sabha, which is one of the two houses of India's Parliament. He served there until 1957. He then won elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly in 1957 and 1962.
In Assam, he served as Minister of Finance, Law, and Community Development. He held these roles from 1957 to 1966.
Becoming a Union Minister
Minister of Irrigation and Power
In January 1966, while still Assam's Finance Minister, Ahmed became a Union Minister. He was put in charge of Irrigation and Power in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's first government. In April of that year, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for a second time.
Minister of Education
He then moved to the Ministry of Education. He served as the Union Minister for Education from November 1966 to March 1967. During this short time, he worried about less money being given to education programs.
Minister of Industrial Development and Company Affairs
On March 13, 1967, Ahmed became the Minister of Industrial Development and Company Affairs. In the 1967 elections, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Barpeta area in Assam.
One important thing he did was to introduce a bill in Parliament in 1969. This bill aimed to stop companies from giving money to political parties. The goal was to reduce the influence of big businesses on politics.
Minister for Food and Agriculture
Ahmed became the Minister for Food and Agriculture on June 27, 1970. He stayed in this role until July 3, 1974. He was re-elected from Barpeta in the 1971 general election.
As minister, Ahmed supported keeping extra food and fertilizer supplies. This was to help if there were problems with production. He also supported research programs for crops. In 1973, the government took over the wholesale trade of wheat. This was meant to keep prices stable, but it caused problems and led to India needing to import a lot of grain.
President of India (1974–1977)
How He Became President
In July 1974, Indira Gandhi and the Congress Party chose Ahmed to be the next President of India. He was elected on August 20, 1974. He won with a large number of votes against the opposition candidate.
Ahmed was sworn in as the fifth president of India on August 24, 1974. He was the second Muslim to hold this high office. He was also the first person to become president directly from being a Union Cabinet Minister.
The National Emergency
President Ahmed declared a national emergency on June 25, 1975. He did this based on the advice of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The reason given was that India's security was threatened by internal problems.
After the emergency was declared, electricity was cut off to newspaper offices in Delhi. Many opposition leaders were arrested. The Prime Minister announced the Emergency to the nation. This period lasted until March 21, 1977. During this time, some public freedoms were limited, and political parties faced restrictions.
Laws and Changes During His Time
During the Emergency, Parliament passed several important changes to the Constitution. President Ahmed signed these changes into law. For example, one change made it so that courts could not review the Emergency declaration. Another change stopped courts from deciding on election challenges against the President or Prime Minister.
Many new laws were also made quickly through "ordinances." These included laws to end forced labor and ensure equal pay for equal work. In December 1975, while President Ahmed was visiting other countries, he signed more ordinances. These laws limited what the media could publish.
In January 1976, the government in Tamil Nadu was dismissed by an ordinance signed by Ahmed. In December 1976, the Forty-second Constitutional Amendment was passed. This bill made many changes to the Constitution. It also extended the term of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) to six years.
His Public Support for the Emergency
As president, he publicly supported the Emergency. On Independence Day in 1975, he told citizens that the Emergency was a "passing phase." He said it was needed to save India from chaos. He also warned that freedom should not turn into disorder.
On Republic Day in 1976, Ahmed said the Emergency had helped India's economy. He also said it brought "national discipline." In 1976, he stated that the Emergency would not be used to change India's system of government. Instead, he said it was to bring about necessary economic, social, and political changes for the good of the people of India.
International Visits
President Ahmed traveled to many countries during his time in office. He made state visits to Indonesia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, and Malaysia.
In March 1975, he visited Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral of King Faisal. This was the first time an Indian President attended the funeral of another country's leader. He also received an honorary law degree during his visit to Yugoslavia.
Love for Sports
Ahmed was a very active sportsman throughout his life. He enjoyed playing golf during his presidency. He was also a good field hockey player. He played for the Combined Universities Hockey Team in Cambridge.
For many years, he was the president of Assam’s State Football and Cricket Associations. He also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Assam Council of Sports. Later, he became President of the All-India Lawn Tennis Federation. Ahmed helped bring back the Shillong Golf Club. He also revived the mini golf course at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President's official residence.
In 1975, he started the President’s Polo Cup as an open tournament. He was the main supporter of the Indian Polo Association.
His Passing and Burial
On February 10, 1977, Ahmed returned to New Delhi from a visit to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. He had to cut short his trip due to poor health. On the morning of February 11, he was found unconscious at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Doctors declared him dead at 8:52 a.m. He had suffered a heart attack.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was India’s second president to die while in office. Vice President B. D. Jatti immediately became the acting president. India declared thirteen days of national mourning.
Ahmed’s body was placed in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Many citizens, politicians, and ministers came to pay their respects. He was given a state funeral and buried on February 13. His burial took place in the grounds of a mosque near Parliament House.
His Tomb
Ahmed’s tomb was designed by the architect Habib Rahman. It is located in the garden of a mosque near Parliament House. The tomb is open to the sky. It features thin marble screens that are held by steel parts. The design is a modern take on traditional Islamic architecture. It is considered an elegant and important piece of modern architecture in Delhi.
His Family
Ahmed was married to Begum Abida Ahmed. They had two sons and one daughter. Begum Abida Ahmed helped improve the presidential kitchen and redecorated parts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. She later became a Member of Parliament for two terms.
Their elder son, Parvez Ahmed, is a doctor. Their other son, Badar Durrez Ahmed, became a judge. He served as Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
How He Is Remembered
A short documentary film about Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was made in 1977. It is called Salute To The President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. India Post also issued a commemorative postage stamp in 1977 to honor him.
Several places and awards are named after him. The Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta, Assam, is one example. There is also the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Committee, which promotes Urdu, Arabic, and Persian languages. A teachers' training college in Darbhanga, Bihar, is also named after him.
Since 1977, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has given out the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Award. This award honors scientists who do research in tribal and remote areas. In 2013, Ahmed was given the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour. This was for his help in Bangladesh gaining its independence.
See also
In Spanish: Fakhruddin Alí Ahmed para niños
