Giani Zail Singh birth anniversary: Giani Zail Singh, who was born on this date, was the seventh President of India from 1982 to 1987 and the only Sikh to hold the position. He was a civil rights activist and social reformer who had compassion for the oppressed and did everything within his power to improve society. Throughout his extensive career, the former president held various positions. Before becoming president, he was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress (INC) and served in numerous capacities in the Union Cabinet, including as Home Minister. Singh is best known for his unwavering support of Indira Gandhi.
To ascend from a small village to the apex of India’s public affairs requires far more courage and determination than servitude, and Zail Singh demonstrated that he possessed all three.
Giani Zail Singh Early years
Zail Singh, also referred to as Jarnail Singh, was born in the princely state of Faridkot on May 5, 1916, to Bhai Kishan Singh. He was raised by his aunt after his mother passed away when he was small. As a result of his family’s religious upbringing, Zail Singh is proficient in reading the Guru Granth Sahib and has a profound comprehension of Sikh philosophy and history. He was also fluent in Urdu and had an extensive understanding of Hindu mythology and texts.
Even though he did not have a high school diploma, he was admitted to the Shahid Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar as an adolescent. In college, he was given the title ‘Gyani’ due to his comprehension of the Guru Granth Sahib and his extensive knowledge of religious studies.
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Giani Zail Singh Career
After the execution of Bhagat Singh, he became politically active at a tender age and joined the Indian freedom movement. In 1938, he established the Congress-affiliated Praja Mandal political party in Faridkot. The Maharaja of Faridkot took offence to this and ordered Singh’s detention. During his five years of imprisonment, Singh altered his name to Zail Singh.
Shortly after his release from prison, Singh was designated minister of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union. Singh served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1956 to 1962. In the Punjab Assembly elections of 1972, he was acclaimed as the state’s chief minister.
Zail Singh supported Indira Gandhi in every way when she was voted out of office in 1977, and when she was re-elected in 1980, he was given the Home Affairs Ministry, which he held until he was elected president in 1982.
As India’s seventh President
As president, Zail Singh was required to guide the nation through some of its most difficult periods. During this time, Sikh extremism was at its height, with the army raiding the Golden Temple on the orders of the Prime Minister, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the ensuing political turmoil. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Singh was subjected to even more criticism when he appointed Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister, under whose reign even more Sikhs were murdered.
Singh continued to serve as President and concluded his term despite opposition and criticism from other political leaders.
In November 1994, he was severely injured in an automobile accident and died in Chandigarh one month later.
