Pratibha Patil, the 12th Indian President to serve the country. Not only that, she was the first woman President to hold office in India. Now, how cool is that the US has yet to get a woman president along with 79 other countries. According to research (The Pew Research Centre) conducted by the Americans, studied how India tops the chart in women leaders. Unbelievable right! India is one of the five countries that have a cumulative count of women being in power for over 15 years.
So take a look at our fabulous fierce and fiery former president:
1. Great victory
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| pic courtesy: outlookindia |
She
won the Presidential elections by two-thirds of the votes. Thereby beating a very well known BJP candidate who was the then Vice President at that time, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who was backed by the powerful NDA alliance.
2. Kept her maiden name
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| pic courtesy: outlookindia |
That’s right when the Outlook Magazine asked Pratibha would she keep her maiden name after marriage. She responded that she most certainly would. She further emphasised that
she contested the elections in Maharashtra before she got married, and she wouldn't want to confuse the public by the change of name.
In her words “So I kept the name. People accepted it — my husband will accept it.” (Source: Outlook)
3. Academically Oriented
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| pic courtesy: youtube |
She got a
dual master’s degree in Political science and Economics. That wasn't enough for her so she decided to study law and after Post graduation realised that she would want to practice it. On her journey, she developed a keen interest in humanitarian issues and the role of uplifting the neglected in society. She opened a Farmer's Training Centre in Maharashtra. Doing this she didn't want to sidetrack from improving the status of women. Thereby opening working hostels for women in New Delhi and Pune.
5. Served as the Governor of Rajasthan and had a tenure in the Centre.
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| pic courtesy: newsd |
Pratibha entered the Lok Sabha after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and won the seats in his constituency. Thereby making a huge mark and further developing our nations. After 8 years slogging in the Lok Sabha, she finally became the
first woman Governor of Rajasthan in November 2004. Apart from that, she was
Chairperson of Maharashtra State Water Pollution Control Board. Not only that she worked as the Member of Governing Council of National Cooperative Union of India and on the 20-Point Program Implementation Committee.
Written by
Payal Singh
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