Dr. Zakir Hussain
Dr. Zakir Hussain was the third President of our country. He was the first Muslim President of India. Dr. Zakir Hussain was the epitome of patriotism and truthfulness. The great patriot took birth on 8th February 1897 in Hyderabad. His mother instilled the spirit of righteousness in him and prompted him to work hard for his livelihood. Unfortunately, his mother died due to plague during his childhood.
Zakir Hussain completed his primary education in Itava, where he met a religious person called Sufi Hasan Shah. Sufi Hasan Shah taught the moral values of life to Zakir Hussain and instilled good habits in him. After completing his senior secondary exams, he took admission in Muslim Anglo-Indian college.
Later on, he proceeded to Germany for higher studies. There he attained Ph.D. degree from Berlin university.
After coming back to India, he took the profession of a teacher and began to teach small children of a primary school, as there was a dire need of a qualified teacher over there.
There he would not allow children to wear unpolished shoes. To instill the habit of polishing of shoes, he would sit at the entrance door with polish and brush in his hands and would polish the shoes of children with his own hands. After that, children never came to school with unpolished shoes.
Dr. Zakir Hussain wanted children to develop the habit of cleanliness. One day he showed lot of pieces of paper to the school children and told them that he has got this trash from the premises of the school. He attributed that the school was the place of learning not the dustbin. Thus, it was their duty to keep it clean.
Dr. Zakir Hussain was elected for the post of Vice-President in the year 1962. On 13 May, 1967 he became the first Muslim President of our country.
On 3 May, 1969 Dr. Zakir Hussain died due to heart attack. He was a heavenly body born to eliminate the darkness of ignorance and lit up the world with the light of knowledge.
Dr. Zakir Hussain was an angel descended from heavens to show the righteous path to the mankind. He was indeed the pride of our nation.