Pranab Mukherjee, son of Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi Mukherjee, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, born on 11th December, 1935 in a small village, Mirati of Birbhum District in West Bengal. Kamada K Mukherjee was a respected freedom fighter spent more than 10 years in British jails. Pranab’s father was an active member of Indian National Congress and was also a member of West Bengal Legislative Council from 1952 to 1964. So, it was quite obvious that K K Mukherjee’s son Shri Pranab Mukherjee would join active politics following his father’s foot-steps, after brief career in academic world (after obtaining masters degree in Political Science and History and degree of Law from Calcutta University (situated in Kolkata), he had joined as a professor in a college of Birbhum District of West Bengal).

Late Shri Pranab Mukherjee’s parliamentary career begun as a Rajya Sabha member from Congress Party in 1969. Thereafter, he had been re-elected in 1975, 1981, 1993, and 1999. His ministerial career had begun in 1973 as the Deputy Minister, Industrial Development. After that he hardly looked back. When he was the Finance Minister of India during 1982 to 1984, Euromoney Magazine rated him as the best Finance Minister of the world. Thereafter, barring a brief period, Mukherjee, served the country as a cabinet Minister, more or less in every National Congress Ministry. He also served as the External Affairs Mnister of Dr.Manmohan Singh’s cabinet and as a senior member of the Ministry, he had been consulted by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh before taking any major decision regarding welfare of the country and his valuable comments and suggestions made him practically indispensable. From 2009 till 2012, he had served as the Union Finance Minister, again under Dr.Manmohan Singh’s cabinet.

in 2012 He had became the 13th President of India in 2012, which had been the culmination of his five decade long political career. After getting elected as the president of India, he issued a pubic statement which read like:

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of you who are waiting. The figure has crossed 7 lakhs, only one state remains. The final figure will come from the returning officer. I would like to thank the people of India for electing me to this high office. The enthusiasm, the warmth of the people was remarkable. I have received much more from the people of this country, from the Parliament, than I have given. Now I have been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting and defending the constitution as President. I will try and justify the trust of the people. I would like to reciprocate the congratulation Shri Purno Sangma has extended.

After his presidentship, Mukherjee received Bharat Ratna in 2019. He previously had received Padma Vibhushan in 2008 while serving as the Union Minister.

Mukherjee suffered from Covid-19 during August 2020 and after fighting with life for almost a month while enduring a complicated brain surgery, passed away on 31st August 2020.

Personal Life

He was born in Mirati village near Kirnahar town, District Birbhum, West Bengal, on December 11, 1935, the son of Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi Mukherjee. His father was active in the Congress party from 1920, was a member of AICC, and West Bengal Legislative Council (1952-64), and President, District Congress Committee, Birbhum (WB)[2]. His father was also a respected freedom fighter who had been sent to prison for more than 10 years for his opposition to the British rule He attended the Suri Vidyasagar College, Suri (Birbhum), then affiliated with the University of Calcutta. He passed double M.A one in History, another is political science .After that he passed LL.B . He attended the Suri Vidyasagar College, Suri (Birbhum), and then affiliated with the University of Calcutta. He had married Suvra Mukherjee on July 13, 1957 and had two sons and a daughter.