A Glimpse into a President’s Life

Varahagiri Venkata Giri was an able politician, the 4th President of India and an activist who used his voice to fight for workers and labour rights ardently. Studying in Ireland, he became an active participant in Irish and Indian politics.

The 4th President of India- V.V Giri; Image Source: The Print

A married couple of successful lawyer and political activist gave birth to a boy named Varahagiri Venkata Giri in Berhampur, Madras Presidency **(**present-day Odisha) on this day in 1894. Hailing from a family who already had their feet dipped in the waters of Politics, Varahagiri did not stray away from this pool. From a young age, he watched his parents fight for the ongoing Freedom struggle and soon became a monumental figure in the history of his nation.

After completing his initial education at Khallikote College, Varahagiri had greater plans in mind and decided to pursue his further studies at University College Dublin in 1913. Ireland proved itself to be a stepping stone in his career, for he received exposure here which he couldn’t have found elsewhere. With Ireland being on the boil due to its revolution, our young student got hugely influenced by Irish politics.

Being suspected of his affiliation with the members of the Left-wing party, Sinn Féin, Irish authorities gave Varahagiri a one month’s notice to leave the country in 1916. Even though his stay was short in The Land of Saints and Scholars, the taste of revolution he had gotten here never escaped his tongue.

Upon his return to India, Giri enrolled himself at the Madras High Court. He went on to join the Congress and rose in its ranks, becoming an active member in the country’s freedom struggle. Even though he had a promising legal career ahead, with Gandhi’s call for Non-Cooperation, Giri left behind his passion for something greater.

After getting arrested in 1922 for demonstrating against the sale of liquor shops, Giri found his newfound interest in Trade and Labour rights. Two years later, he established the All India Railwaymen's Federation and went on to become the elected President of the All India Trade Union Congress once in 1926 and then in 1942.

The railwaymen’s struggles hit him hard and drove him to organize their non-violent protest where their demands were raised. Their adamant efforts led the British Indian government to give in, making this victory a milestone in the labour movement in India.

Although his career underwent an upscale after the nation’s independence, his years during the British era were also quite impressive. The Imperial Legislative Assembly and Madras Legislative Assembly were fortunate to witness this passionate man as their member. He spent years fighting for his country’s freedom and got himself arrested once more in 1939 for protesting against India being a part of World War Two, which was followed by another arrest till 1945.

With the country’s emancipation from its colonizers, Giri positioned himself as an able politician. Initially serving as India's first High Commissioner to Ceylon, he became elected to the Parliament. Perhaps, his greatest contribution was the ‘Giri Approach’ which called for establishing efficient communication between the management and workers to improve the labour sector.

However, his tenure as the Union Minister for Labour was short-lived, as he resigned in 1954 due to differing views from the opposition. In the decade of 1957-1967, Giri went on to become the Governors of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka.

The era of Indira Gandhi surely created turmoil in Indian history. With it, came Giri’s major turning point as well. President Zakir Hussain’s death in 1969 paved the way for Giri to become the country’s 4th President.

However, his elections couldn’t have been more controversial. Earlier, Giri was the country’s Vice President which directly elevated him to the status of acting president after the former’s death. Yet, Giri resigned from his post to contest independently in the presidential elections. Indira Gandhi due to her selfish reasons supported him, while the elder Congress members supported Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Although Giri won these elections, the Presidential election of 1969 goes down in history as one of the most controversial elections ever held.

Giri came to be mocked as a "Prime Minister’s President" during his tenure for all of his suggestions were easily escaped by Indira Gandhi. He was succeeded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed in 1974.

Nevertheless, Giri was remembered fondly for his contributions, such as his assent to two revolutionary documents-the Shimla Agreement and the bank nationalisation Bill of 1969.

In 1975, he even became the recipient of the Bharat Ratna. Unfortunately, the world saw the last of this man in 1980, for he breathed his last due to a heart attack in his Madras residency.