Being First in India is responsible for setting the benchmark and idealistic platform for others to consider and follow. People are inspired by them, and the 1st person in doing a task which has never been performed before – brings more respect and power to their portfolios.
let us see the List of First in India both males and females in various fields like Science and Technology, sports etc.
List of First in India
1. J.R.D Tata – He was an Indian aviator, entrepreneur, and shareholder in Tata Sons. He was the Chairman of the Tata Group. Suzanne Briere, his mother was the first woman to drive a car in India. JRD Tata is the recipient of Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.
He has been an eminent contributor to the Indian Industry as well. He was the son of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata. J.R.D Tata also served in the Second World War.
2. W.C Banerjee – He was an Indian Barrister and the co-founder of the Indian National Congress as well. He was the president of INC in the 1892 session in Allahabad again.
3. Rabindranath Tagore – He was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize and composed the National Anthem of India and Bangladesh. Rabindranath Tagore declined to receive the Knighthood in honor of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
He is known to inspire the youth and the freedom fighters with his writing. He believed in “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
4. Sachin Tendulkar – Also known as the “God of Cricket”, he is known to score the highest runs in International Cricket. He has received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. He is the recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan and also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
5. Dr. Zakir Hussain – He was an Indian economist who served as the 3rd President of India. He had previously served as the Governor of Bihar and the Vice President of India. Dr Zakir Hussain also founded the Jamia Millia Islamia.
He was also the first President to die during his tenure as the President of India.
6. Kalpana Chawla – She completed her education from Punjab Engineering College. She was in space for about 31 days. In 2003, the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere. She is one of the 7 members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster.
7. Indira Gandhi – She is the first and to date the only lady Prime Minister of India. She ordered the search of the Golden Temple for arms in Amritsar which resulted in huge controversy amongst the Sikhs. She also helped Bangladesh by deploying Indian soldiers to gain independence from Pakistan.
8. Bachendri Pal – Even though Pal received strong opposition from the family, she never let her dream go ashtray. She enrolled herself in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. In 2019 she was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
9. Arundhati Roy – She is a political activist and involved in environmental causes. She won the Man Booker Prize Award for The God Of Small Things in 1997. The book has been criticized for its controversial issues in Kerala.
10. Durga Banerjee – She was the first pilot of the Indian Airlines in 1956. She became a Commander in the F27 turboprop Aircraft and got rated as the Jet Pilot and flew the Boeing 737. Durga Banerjee also flew Airbus 300.
11. Rakesh Sharma – He was a former Indian pilot. He is the only Indian citizen to travel in space. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. When Gandhi had asked him how India looked from space, he replied “Saare Jahan Se Accha” – The best nation.
He retired as the wing commander and later joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He spent 7 days 21 minutes in space.
12. Amartya Sen – He is the author of the book “Argumentative India.” He is a recipient of the Bharat Ratna due to his work in welfare economics. He has made contributions in social justice, public health, the economy of other countries, and many other fields. He received the Nobel Prize in Economics.
13. Meera Fathima Beevi – She is also the first Muslime woman to be appointed to any higher judiciary posts in India. After retiring, she has also served as the Governor of the state of Tamil Nadu. She has also served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission. She topped the Bar exam in 1950.
14. Sania Mirza – A professional Tennis player, she has won 6 Grand Slam titles in her career. From 2003 to 2013, she was ranked by the Women’s Tennis Association as India’s No. 1 player.
She is the highest ever female player from India. She is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna as well.
15. Meira Kumar – She is a former diplomat. She is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress Party. Meira Kumar was the Minister of Water Resources for a short time in 2009. She became the 15th Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and also the first woman to ever hold this post.
List of first in India (Male)
| First Prime Minister of free India | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| First batsman to score a double century in One Day International cricket match | Sachin Tendulkar |
| First man to have climbed Mount Everest twice | Nawang Gombu |
| First President of the Indian Republic | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| First Indian Pilot | J.R.D. Tata |
| First Indian to win Nobel Prize | Rabindranath Tagore |
| First President of Indian National Congress | W.C. Banerjee |
| First Muslim President of Indian National Congress | Badruddin Tayyabji |
| First Muslim President of India | Dr. Zakir Hussain |
| First British Governor-General of India | Lord William Bentinck |
| First British Viceroy of India | Lord Canning |
| First Governor-General of free India | Lord Mountbatten |
| First and the last Indian Governor-General of free India | C. Rajgopalachari |
| First Man who introduced the printing press in India | James Hicky |
| First Indian to join the I.C.S. | Satyendranath Tagore |
| First Indian man in space | Rakesh Sharma |
| First Prime Minister of India who resigned without completing Full-term | Morarji Desai |
| First Indian Commander-in-Chief of India | General Cariappa |
| First Chief of Army Staff | Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji |
| First Indian member of the Viceroy’s executive council | S.P. Sinha |
| First President of India who died while in office | Dr. Zakir Hussain |
| First Prime Minister of India who did not face the Parliament | Charan Singh |
| First Field Marshal of India | S.H.F. Manekshaw |
| First Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics | C.V. Raman |
| First Indian to receive Bharat Ratna award | Dr. Radhakrishnan |
| First Indian to cross the English Channel | Mihir Sen |
| First-person to receive Jnanpith award | Sri Shankar Kurup |
| First Speaker of the Lok Sabha | Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar |
| First Vice-President of India | Dr. Radhakrishnan |
| First Education Minister | Abul Kalam Azad |
| First Home Minister of India | Sardar Vallabha Bhai Patel |
| First Indian Air Chief Marshal | S. Mukharji |
| First Indian Naval Chief | Vice-Admiral R.D. Katari |
| First Judge of the International Court of Justice | Dr. Nagendra Singh |
| First-person to receive Paramveer Chakra | Major Somnath Sharma |
| First-person to reach Mt. Everest without Oxygen | Sherpa Anga Dorjee |
| First Chief Election Commissioner | Sukumar Sen |
| First-person to receive Magsaysay Award | Acharya Vinoba Bhave |
| First-person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize in Medicine | Hargovind Khurana |
| First Chinese Traveller to visit India | Fa-Hein |
| First-person to receive Stalin Prize | Saifuddin Kitchlu |
| First-person to resign from the central cabinet | Shyama Prasad Mukharji |
| First Foreigner to receive Bharat Ratna | Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan |
| First-person to receive Nobel Prize in Economics | Amartya Sen |
| First Chief Justice of Supreme Court | Justice Hiralal J. Kania |
| First batsman to score three test century in three successive tests on debut | Mohd. Azharuddin |
List of First in India (female)
| First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha | Meira Kumar (2009) |
| India’s First Woman President | Pratiba Patil |
| India’s First Woman Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| India’s First Woman Governor | Sarojini Naidu |
| India’s First Woman IPS Officer | Kiran Bedi |
| First Woman Chief Minister of State | Sucheta Kripalani |
| First Woman Union Minister | Rajkumari Amrita Kaur |
| First Woman President of INC | Annie Besant |
| First Woman Judge of Supreme Court | Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi |
| First Woman to get Ashok Chakra | Nirja Bhanot |
| First Indian Woman Ambassador at UN | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit |
| First Indian woman who reached Antarctica | Mahel Musa |
| First Indian Woman to get Nobel Prize | Mother Teresa |
| First Indian Woman to swim across the English Channel | Arati Saha |
| First Indian Woman to climb Mt Everest | Bachendri Pal |
| First Indian Woman to become Miss World | Miss Reita Faria |
| First Indian Woman to climb Mt Everest twice | Santhosh Yadhav |
| First Indian Woman to become Miss Universe | Susmita Sen |
| First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna | Indira Gandhi |
| First Indian Woman to get Jnanpith Award | Ashapurna Devi |
| First Indian Woman to win WTA Title | Sania Mirza |
| First Indian Woman Airline Pilot | Durga Banerjee |
| First Indian Woman to win Gold in Asian Games | Kamaljeet Sandhu |
| First Indian Woman President of INC | Sarojini Naidu |
| First Indian Woman to Booker Prize | Arundhati Roy |
| First Woman Musician to get Bharat Ratna | MS Subbalakshmi |
| First Indian Woman to go to space | Kalpana Chawla |
Conclusion
The firsts in any field are always looked up to for inspiration in India. They are the ones who truly set a path for the people – which others can follow. The firsts are the changemakers in society. They inspire the youth which is extremely important.
The stress on “first” insignificant fields has always been an area of competition for people. But talented people take the place with ease and honesty.