About V.V. Giri
Born on the 10th of August in the year 1894, Varahagiri Venkata Giri, commonly known as just V.V. Giri, was a famous political personality, a renowned trade unionist, who was a significant member of the Indian National Congress, and went on to become the fourth president of independent India from the year 1969 to 1974.
An intellectual since childhood, he pursued his academics from both India as well as the University of Dublin, and was also the founder of the Railwaymen’s Federation in India.
He served as a minister of labor twice, in the year 1937 and once again in the year 1946, one year prior to India’s independence.
A significant cabinet minister, he served as the governor of around three states, i.e. Mysore, Kerela and Uttar Pradesh between a period of 10 years, that is from 1957 until 1967.
After Zakir Hussain’s death, he served as the acting president of the nation for a short while, before taking fully over the responsibility of presidency in the year 1969, after he successfully defeated his opponent Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.
The government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna Award in the year 1975. He passed away on the 23rd of June in 1980.