| President of India during
1967-1969, Dr. Zakir Husain was an outstanding scholar who had contributed
much to the popularization of the Gandhian scheme of the basic national
education. The scheme was launched in 1938 and Dr. Husain was the President
of the Hindustani Talimi Sangh, Sevagram (1938- 1948).He was first awarded
Padma Vibhushan in 1954 and the Bharat Ratna in 1963. He had been the recipient
of academic honors from various Indian Universities.
Tall, well built with an
impressive personality, Dr. Zakir Husain was always associated with learning
and culture. He was one of the founders of the Jamia Milia Islamia in New
Delhi. He became its Vice Chancellor in the twenties. It was at the Jamia
Milia that he developed his educational ideals.
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Born at Hyderabad on
February 8, 1897, Dr. Zakir Husain had his education in Uttar Pradesh.
Later, he went to the University of Berlin in Germany and took doctorate
in Economics in 1962. In 1948, Dr. Zakir Husain became the Vice Chancellor
of the Aligarh Muslim University. He was also a member of the first Indian
Universities Commission. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was also
a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO from 1956 to 1958. In 1962 he
was elected Vice President of India. He became the third President of India
on May 9, 1967. He passed away suddenly on May 3, 1969. Dr. Zakir Husain
translated Plato's "Republic" into Urdu.
A nationalist of the Gandhian
vintage, Dr. Husain held up the highest moral values and lived up to them.
He believed in democracy with individual freedom and self discipline
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