Zail

Singh Biography
Gyani Zail Singh was the first Sikh to serve as the President of
the Republic of India. This biography of Gyani Zail Singh
provides detailed information about his childhood, life,
achievements, works & timeline.
Quick Facts
Also Known As

Gyani Zail Singh

Famous as

President of India

Nationality

Indian

Religion

Sikh

Born on

05 May 1916 AD

Zodiac Sign

Taurus

Born in

Faridkot, Punjab, India

Died on

25 December 1994 AD

Place of death

Chandigarh, India

Father

Bhai Kishan Singh

Mother

Mata Ind Kaur

Spouse:

Pardhan Kaur

Gyani Zail Singh, who served as the seventh President of the

Republic of India was the first Sikh to serve in this post. He was
a very religious person and had in depth knowledge about the
Guru Granth Sahib even though he lacked formal secular
education. He was a freedom fighter and social reformer who
always emphathized with the downtrodden and did all that he
could possibly do for the upliftment of the society. He was
interested in politics from an early age and was deeply
influenced by the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and his
companions who gave up their precious lives fighting for the
freedom of the country. Young Zail, who was just 16 at the time
of the incident resolved to follow in their footsteps and
contribute towards the welfare of his nation. He fervently
participated in nationalist activities and was frequently
imprisoned, even kept in solitary confinement. Yet nothing could
break the determined mans spirit. As fate would have it, this
aspiring politician soon joined the Indian National Congress and
held several prestigious posts in the cabinet before being
elected the president of India.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born in a mud house to a poor family in Faridkot
district in Punjab, India. His father s name was Bhai
Kishan Singh while his mother was Mata Ind Kaur. His
father worked as the village carpenter.
He was the youngest among six siblings who included five
brothers and a sister. Tragedy struck the close-knit family
when his mother died when he was just a child. T he

children were later brought up by their mother s sister.

His family, though humble also had a small piece of land
to till. Zail Singh was brought up in a religious
environment by his family and became well versed in the
holy scriptures of the Sikhs by an early age.
As a teenager he was accepted into the Shahid Sikh
Missionary College at Amritsar in spite of the fact that he
did not have a matriculation certificate. However, he was a
very confident young man highly skilled in the art of public
speaking.
While in college he acquired the title Gyani because of
his knowledge of the Guru Granth Sahib and because of
his extensive training in religious studies. He was very
fluent in Punjabi and Urdu and could hold his audience in
a trance with his oratory skills.
In 1931, Bhagat Singh and his companions Sukhdev and
Rajguru were hanged to death by the British for their
extremist nationalist activities. Zail Singh who was just 15
at that time was deeply impacted by the incident.
Care e r
He was actively involved in politics from his teenage and
had joined the Shiromani Akali Dal when he was just 15.
By the time he reached his 20s in the late 1930s, his
political aspirations had begun to take on a new fervor.
In 1938 he established the Praja Mandal, which was a
political organization allied to the Congress party in
Faridkot. T his did not go down well with the Maharaja of
Faridkot who saw the opening of a Congress branch in the
city as a threat to his power.
Zail Singh was captured and imprisoned. For five years he
was kept in solitary confinement and was also tortured for
his political activities. Yet the young man never lost heart
and held on strongly to his ideals.
After India became independent, he was appointed as the
Revenue Minister of the recently formed Patiala and East

Punjab States Union (PEPSU). His contributions to the

farmers of PEPSU in removing inequalities and providing
them their rights was immense.
After his able leadership as the Revenue Minister of
PEPSU, he was made the Minister of Agriculture in 1951.
In 1956 PEPSU was integrated with the state of Punjab
and Zail Singh became a member of the Rajya Sabha
where he served till 1962.
In the 1972 Punjab Assembly elections, Congress came to
the power and Giani Zail Singh became the Chief Minister
of Punjab. A freedom fighter himself, he arranged for
lifelong pension scheme for freedom fighters of Punjab.
He was also very religious and held huge religious
meetings and named a highway after Guru Gobind Singh.
He joined Indira Gandhis cabinet as Minister of Home
Affairs in 1980 and was elected to be the President in
1982. However his detractors were of the opinion that he
was selected as a President for being an Indira loyalist
rather than for his capabilities.
He was accused of being a mute bystander when the
Operation Blue Star happened in June 1984. When the
government troops stormed the Harmandir Sahib, the
Sikhs holiest shrine in Amritsar and caused much
bloodshed, Zail Singh could do nothing.
He faced a very difficult time after the assassination of
Indira Gandhi in October 1984 after which her son Rajiv
Gandhi was appointed the Prime Minister. He never got
along with Rajiv Gandhi though he served as the
president till 1987.
Major Achie v e m e nts
Gyani Zail Singh served as the seventh President of India
from 1982 to 1987. He was the first Sikh to hold this
position. His presidency was, however, marked by several
controversial issues like Operation Blue Star and anti-Sikh
riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy

He was married to Pardhan Kaur and was blessed with
one son and three daughters.
He was involved in a vehicle accident in November 1994
in which he was seriously hurt. He succumbed to his
injuries on 25 December 1994.