Zakir Husain Khan, born on 8 February 1897, was
an Indian statesman, the first Muslim to hold the
largely ceremonial position of president of India. His fostering of secularism was
criticized by some Muslim activists.
Husain responded to the nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi’s appeal to
Indian youth to shun state-supported institutions; he helped found the Muslim
National University in Aligarh (later moved to New Delhi) and served
as its vice-chancellor from 1926 to 1948. At Gandhi’s invitation, he also
became chairman of the National Committee on Basic Education, established in
1937 to design a Gandhian syllabus for schools.
In 1948 Husain became vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim
University, and four years later he entered the upper house of the national
Parliament. In 1956–58 he served on the executive board of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He was appointed governor of Bihar state in
1957 and was elected vice president of India in 1962. As the official Congress
Party candidate, he was elected president of India in 1967 and served until his
death.
No comments:
Post a Comment