Pranab Mukherjee Biography: Birth, Education, Family, Political Career and more

Pranab Mukherjee Biography: Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee underwent brain surgery for the removal of a clot. He tested coronavirus positive before the surgery. He was hospitalised to the Army's Research and Referral (R&R) hospital.

Pranab Mukherjee was sworn in as 13th President of India on July 25, 2012, and he served India till 2017. He has been a senior Congress leader and has served on various ministerial posts.

Mr Pranab was the most versatile minister of India. He was the only minister who handled four major ministries, defence, commerce, foreign and finance.

Pranab Mukherjee Birth

Pranab Mukherjee was born on December 11, 1935, in Mirati, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Birbhum district, West Bengal, India) to Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee (father) and Rajlakshmi Mukherjee (mother). His father a member of West Bengal Legislative Council during 1952-1964 as an Indian National Congress representative and was active during Indian Independence movement.

Pranab Mukherjee Education

Pranab Mukherjee did his schooling from Suri Vidyasagar College, Suri. He completed his Masters in Political Science and History from the University of Calcutta, from the same university he got his LLB degree as well.

Pranab Mukherjee Family

Pranab Mukherjee got married to Surva Mukherjee on July 13, 1957. The couple was blessed with two sons, Indrajit Mukherjee and Abhijit Mukherjee and a daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee. His life partner Surva migrated from Narail, Bangladesh to Kolkata when she was 10 years old. Due to heart attack she passed away at the age of 74 on August 18, 2015.

His elder son Abhijit is a Congress MP from Jangipur, West Bengal and his daughter Sharmishtha is a Kathak dancer and a politician with Congress.

Pranab Mukherjee Early Life

Before joining politics, he worked as an upper-division Clerk in the Office of Deputy Accountant-General, Calcutta. In 1963, he joined Vidyanagar College, Kolkata as an Assistant Professor of Political Science. He also worked for Desher Dak as a journalist. He also worked as a college teacher and a journalist for a Bengali newspaper.

Pranab Mukherjee Political Career

Mr Pranab had assumed the president office on July 25, 2012. Mr Mukherjee entered politics in 1969 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who guided him to become a member at the Rajya Sabha and from that time he considers Mrs Gandhi as his mentor. He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1975, 1981, 1993 and 1999.

Pranab Mukherjee was also described as the 'man for all seasons'.

1975-1977 - He was active during the controversial Emergency which was imposed on India for two years

1979 - Deputy Leader of Indian National Congress Rajya Sabha

1980 - Leader of the House. In the absence of Prime Minister, he presided over the cabinet meetings.

1982 to 1984 - Finance Minister and appointed Manmohan Singh as the RBI Governor.

1984 - After the assassination of Indira Gandhi in he was side-lined from the Congress under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi. He was barred from the mainstream politics and sent to the regional West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

After this Mr Mukherjee formed Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress (RSC) in West Bengal which later merged with the Congress after a compromise with Rajiv Gandhi.

1991- After Rajiv Gandhi assassination, Mr Mukherjee served as the Deputy Chairman of the Indian planning commission.

1995-1996 - External Affairs Minister in Narasimha Rao's cabinet.

1998-1999 - Mukherjee was appointed as the General Secretary of the AICC after Sonia Gandhi became the President of Congress.

2000 – 2010 - Pranab Mukherjee served as the President of the West Bengal Congress.

2004 - Leader of the House in the Lower House of the Parliament (Lok Sabha).

In Manmohan Singh's Cabinet, Mukherjee held various posts such as Defence, Finance, External Affairs and more. He also led the Congress Parliamentary Party and the Congress Legislative Party, having all the Congress MPs and MLAs.

Pranab Mukherjee Retirement

Pranab Mukherjee became the President of India on July 25, 2012. He retired in 2012 from active politics and ended his association with the Indian National Congress as he was running for President. In 2017, he did not contest for re-elections and retired from politics due to age-related health complications. His term expired on July 25, 2017, and was succeeded by Ram Nath Kovind as the President of India.

Pranab Mukherjee Awards

National Awards

1. 2008 - Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award

2. 2019 - Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award

Foreign Awards

1. 2013 - Bangladesh Liberation War Honour - Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sanmanona

2. 2016 - Grand Cross of National Order of the Ivory Coast, highest state order of knighthood of the Ivory Coast

3. Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios II-- highest order of Merit awarded by Cyprus.