The 129th birth anniversary celebrations of the first President of India Dr Babu Rajendra Prasad was conducted by Desharatna Dr Rajendra Prasad Memorial Trust (Madras) here on Tuesday.
The event was attended by a host of personalities from varied fields and included noted international attorney B S Surana, Lt Gen (retired) Anand Mohan Verma, Sailesh Pandey, chief editor of Rajasthan Patrika, Chennai, and and former DGP S Sripal.
Speaking on the occasion, Sripal underlined the former President’s contribution to nation-building by way of his convincing interactions with the British. “Rajan Babu (as he was fondly referred to) was the only leader to accompany Mahatma Gandhi during meetings with the Britishers,” he said. He added that despite being born to a family of landlords (Zamindars), he was concerned about the welfare of all societal sections.
B S Surana said that the academic achievements of Dr Prasad should inspire every student. “Dr Prasad stood first all along his schooling, yet, he was an active sportsperson. Students could do well to maintain a balance between studies and sports,” he elucidated. He added that at the time, institutions in Bihar, where Dr Prasad studied, came under the Calcutta University, as did those from Assam, Bengal. “Still, he came first at the under and post-graduate studies, making a name for himself,” he said.
Other speakers also extolled on the spartan lifestyle led by the first President. Prizes and scholarships were distributed to poor students. Association members Shobha Kant Das and Pradeep Kumar were also present.