Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Biography

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the sixth President of India who served his tenure from 1977 to 1982. Born on 18th May, 1913 in Andhra Pradesh into a peasant family, he completed his primary education from Madras(presently Chennai). His school had a spiritual atmosphere, which created a deep impact on his young mind.

The turning point in Sanjiva Reddy's life came when he first met Mahatma Gandhi who visited Anantapur in July 1929. He was highly inspired and influenced by the views, ideals, actions and words of Mahatma Gandhi. He became an ardent follower of Gandhiji and cast aside his foreign clothes and started wearing dresses made of Khadi. Such was his dedication and sacrifice for his motherland that he even gave up his studies and took part in the Indian independence struggle.

Later in 1946 he was elected to the Madras Legislaltive Assembly and became the Secretary of the Madras Congress Legislature Party. He became a Member of the Constituent Assembly in 1947.He also served as a Minister for Prohibition for some time. In 1951 he was elected as the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee and subsequently he became Member of the Rajya Sabha. Moreover he served as the President of the Indian National Congress from 1959 to 1962.

He held a lot of important positions in the Union Government. He was elected as the Speaker of Lok Sabha on 17th March, 1967 and again on March 26, 1977. Finally the Electoral College elected him as the President of India in July 1977. He passed away on 1st June, 1996.