First in India: Key Milestones and Pioneering Achievements
India, with its rich tapestry of history and culture, has achieved many firsts across various fields. These milestones not only highlight the country’s progress but also its contributions to the global stage. Here’s a look at some notable “firsts” in India, spanning from governance to science and sports.
Governance and Politics
- First President of India: Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of independent India, serving from 1950 to 1962. His leadership set the tone for the newly formed Republic.
- First Prime Minister of India: Jawaharlal Nehru, a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence, became the first Prime Minister in 1947, serving until his death in 1964.
- First Woman Prime Minister: Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter, broke new ground by becoming India’s first woman Prime Minister in 1966, a position she held for over a decade across different terms.
- First Woman President: Pratibha Patil made history as India’s first woman President, serving from 2007 to 2012.
| First President of India | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| First Vice-President of India | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
| First President of Indian National Congress | Womesh Chandra Bannerjee |
| First Prime Minister of India | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| First Chief Election Commissioner of India | Sukumar Sen |
| First Viceroy of India | Lord Canning |
| First Governor-General of India | Lord William Bentinck |
| First Chief Justice of India | H.J Kania |
| First Speaker of Lok Sabha | G. V. Mavlankar |
| First Home Minister of India | Sardar Vallabhai Patel |
| First Chairperson of Lokpal of India | Pinaki Chandra Ghose |
Science and Technology
- First Satellite: Aryabhata, launched in 1975, was India’s first satellite. It marked India’s entry into the space age and laid the foundation for future advancements in space technology.
- First Nuclear Test: Conducted in 1974 under the code name “Smiling Buddha,” India’s first successful nuclear test established it as a nuclear-capable state.
- First Mission to Mars: The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), launched in 2013, made India the first country to succeed on its maiden attempt to reach Mars.
- First Indigenous Aircraft: The HAL HF-24 Marut, developed in the 1960s, was India’s first indigenous fighter jet, representing a significant achievement in defense technology.
| First hydroelectric plant | Sidrapong (Darjeeling) |
| First Man in Space | Rakesh Sharma |
| First Nuclear Reactor | Apsara (Maharashtra) |
| First satellite | Aryabhatta |
| First successfully indigenous launch vehicle | SLV-3 |
| First genetically modified food product in India | Bt. Eggplant Hybrid [Banned] |
| First to pass the examination of the Indian Medical Service (IMS) | Surjo Kumar Chakroborty |
| First Indian to be appointed as the deputy director-general of programmes (DDP) of the World Health Organization (WHO) | Dr. Soumya Swaminathan |
| First satellite earth station for domestic communications | Secunderabad |
| First Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics | C.V Raman |
Education and Literature
- First University: The University of Calcutta, established in 1857, was the first modern university in India, laying the groundwork for higher education in the country.
- First Nobel Laureate: Rabindranath Tagore became the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, recognized for his profound and impactful poetry.
Arts and Entertainment
- First Full-Length Feature Film: “Raja Harishchandra,” directed by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913, is considered India’s first full-length feature film, heralding the birth of Indian cinema.
- First Talkie Film: “Alam Ara,” released in 1931, was the first Indian film with sound, revolutionizing the film industry in the country.
Sports
- First Olympic Medal: Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics (200 meters and 200 meters hurdles) at the 1900 Paris Olympics, making him the first Indian to win an Olympic medal.
- First Individual Olympic Gold Medal: Abhinav Bindra clinched India’s first individual Olympic gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, marking a significant achievement in India’s sporting history.
- First Cricket World Cup Win: The Indian cricket team, under the captaincy of Kapil Dev, won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983, a victory that transformed the sport in India.
| First Olympics Team Medal | Gold in Field Hockey (1928, Summer Olympics) |
| First Indian woman wrestler to win an Asian gold medal | Navjot Kaur |
| First Indian woman badminton player to win an Asian Games medal | Saina Nehwal |
| First Indian woman to win a medal at Asian Games | Santhi Soundarajan |
| First person to win the international bronze medal in skiing | Aanchal Thakur |
| First Woman to Win an Olympic Silver Medal | P. V. Sindhu in Badminton |
| First female to represent India at the Summer Olympics | Nora Polley, 1924 Summer Olympics |
| First Individual Gold Medal won by | Abhinav Bindra, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing |
| First Woman to Win a Medal in Wrestling | Sakshi Malik won Bronze in the 2016 Summer Olympics |
Industry and Economy
- First Bank: The Bank of Hindustan, established in 1770, was the first bank in India, pioneering banking operations in the country.
- First Passenger Train: On April 16, 1853, India’s first passenger train service commenced, running from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane, marking the beginning of railway transport in India.
Social and Cultural
- First Woman to Climb Mount Everest: Bachendri Pal achieved this remarkable feat in 1984, becoming the first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest.
- First Miss World: Reita Faria was crowned Miss World in 1966, becoming the first Indian woman to win this prestigious international beauty pageant.
List of First In India
| First British to Visit India | Thomas Roe |
| First Chinese pilgrim to Visit India | Fa-Hien/Faxian |
| First Indian to reach Antarctica | Lt. Ram Charan |
| First Judge in International Court of Justice | Dr. Nagender Singh |
| First Muslim President of the Indian National Congress | Badruddin Tayyabji |
| First Post Office Opened in India | Kolkata(1727) |
| First Wax statue of a Living Indian | Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussaud’s in 1939 |
| India’s First Lok Sabha Member to be elected with a record maximum number of votes | P.V.Narasimha Rao |
| India’s First Open University | Dr B.R Ambedkar Open University |
| India’s First University | Nalanda University |
| India’s first man in Space | Rakesh Sharma |
| The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha | Ganesh Vasudeva Mavalankar |
| The first and last Muslim woman ruler of India | Razia Sultan |
| The first and the last Indian to be Governor-General of free India | C. Rajgopalachari |
| The first British Governor-General of Bengal | Lord Warren Hastings(1774-1885) |
| The first British Governor-General of India | Lord William Bentinck(1833-1835) |
| The first British Viceroy of India | Lord Canning |
| The first Chief Election Commissioner | Sukumar Sen |
| The first Chief Justice of Supreme Court | Justice Hirala J. Kania |
| The first Chief of Army Staff | Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji |
| The first Education Minister | Abdul Kalam Azad |
| The first Field Marshal of India | S.H.F. Manekshaw |
| The first Governor-General of free India | Lord Mountbatten |
| The first Home Minister of India | Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel |
| The first Indian Air Chief Marshal | S. Mukherjee |
| The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of India | General Cariappa |
| The first Indian Member of the Viceroy’s executive council | S.P.Sinha |
| The first Indian Naval Chief | Vice-Admiral R.D. Katari |
| The first Indian Pilot | J.R.D. Tata (1929) |
| The first Indian to cross English Channel | Mihir Sen |
| The first Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics | C.V.Raman |
| The first Indian to join the Indian Civil Services | Satyendra Nath Tagore |
| The first Indian to receive Bharat Ratna award | Dr. Radhakrishnan |
| The first Indian to win Nobel Prize | Rabindranath Tagore |
| The first Judge of International Court of Justice | Dr. Nagendra Singh |
| The first lady to become Miss World | Rita Faria |
| The first man who introduced printing press in India | James Hicky |
| The first Muslim President of India | Dr. Zakir Hussain |
| The first Muslim President of Indian National Congress | Badruddin Tayyabji |
| The first Muslim President of Indian Republic | Dr. Zakhir Hussain |
| The first person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize in Medicine | Hargovind Khurana |
| The first person to get Param Vir Chakra | Major Somnath Sharma |
| The first person to reach Mt. Everest without oxygen | Sherpa Anga Dorjee |
| The first Person to receive Jnanpith award | Sri Shankar Kurup |
| The first person to receive Magsaysay Award | Acharya Vinoba Bhave |
| The first person to receive Nobel Prize in Economics | Amartya Sen |
| The first person to receive Stalin Prize | Saifuddin Kitchlu |
| The first person to resign from the Central Cabinet | Shyama Prasad Mukherjee |
| The first President of India who died while in office | Dr. Zakhir Hussain |
| The first President of Indian National Congress | W.C. Banerjee |
| The first President of Indian Republic | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| The first Prime Minister of free India | Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru |
| The first Prime Minister of India who did not face the Parliament | Charan Singh |
| The first Prime Minister of India who resigned without completing the full term | Morarji Desai |
| The first Vice-President of India | Dr. Radhakrishnan |
| The first woman Air Vice Marshal | P. Bandopadhyaya |
| The first woman Airline Pilot | Durba Banerjee |
| The first woman Ambassador | Miss C.B. Muthamma |
| The first woman Asian Games Gold Medal Winner | Kamlijit Sandhu |
| The first woman Chairman of Union Public Service Commission | Roze Millian Bethew |
| The first woman chairperson of Indian Airlines | Sushma Chawla |
| The first woman Cheif Justice of High Court | Mrs Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh High Court) |
| The first woman Chief Minister of an Indian State | Mrs Sucheta Kripalani |
| The first woman Director General of Police | Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya |
| The first woman Governor of a state in free India | Mrs Sarojini Naidu |
| The first woman Graduates | Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu, 1883 |
| The first woman Honours Graduate | Kamini Roy, 1886 |
| The first woman IPS officer | Mrs. Kiran Bedi |
| The first woman Judge | Anna Chandy (She became judge in a district court in 1937) |
| The first woman judge in Supreme Court | Mrs. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi |
| The first woman Judge in Supreme Court of India | Kumari Justice M. Fathima Beevi |
| The first woman Lawyer | Cornelia Sorabjee |
| The first woman Lieutenant General | Puneeta Arora |
| The first woman Minister in a Government | Rajkumari Amrit Kaur |
| The first woman Olympic medal Winner | Karnam Malleswari, 2000 |
| The first woman pilot in Indian Air Force | Harita Kaur Dayal |
| The first woman President of Indian National Congress | Mrs Annie Besant |
| The first woman President of United Nations General Assembly | Mrs Vijaya Laxmi Pandit |
| The first woman Prime Minister | Mrs Indira Gandhi |
| The first woman Speaker of a State Assembly | Shanno Devi |
| The first woman to climb Mount Everest | Bachhendri Pal |
| The first woman to climb Mount Everest twice | Santosh Yadav |
| The first woman to cross English Channel | Aarti Saha |
| The first woman to receive Ashoka Chakra | Nirja Bhanot |
| The first woman to receive Bharat Ratna | Mrs. Indira Gandhi |
| The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award | Ashapurna Devi |
| The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award | Ashpurna Devi |
| The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize | Mother Teresa |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to First in India
Who was the first Indian astronaut to go to space, and in which year?
Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian astronaut to go to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11.
Which was the first Indian state to be formed on a linguistic basis, and when?
Andhra Pradesh was the first Indian state to be formed on a linguistic basis in 1953.
Who was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, and which state did she govern?
Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, governing Uttar Pradesh from 1947 to 1949.
Who was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize, and for which novel?
Arundhati Roy was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize for her novel “The God of Small Things” in 1997.
Questions and Answers for First in India
1. Who was the first President of India?
Answer: Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India, serving from 1950 to 1962.
2. Who became the first Prime Minister of independent India?
Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India in 1947.
3. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
Answer: Indira Gandhi became the first woman Prime Minister of India in 1966.
4. Who was the first woman President of India?
Answer: Pratibha Patil was the first woman President of India, serving from 2007 to 2012.
5. What was the name of India’s first satellite, and when was it launched?
Answer: Aryabhata was India’s first satellite, launched in 1975.
6. When and where did India conduct its first nuclear test?
Answer: India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974 at Pokhran, under the code name “Smiling Buddha.”
7. Which mission made India the first country to succeed on its maiden attempt to reach Mars?
Answer: The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), launched in 2013, made India the first country to succeed on its maiden attempt to reach Mars.
8. What was the name of India’s first indigenous fighter jet?
Answer: The HAL HF-24 Marut was India’s first indigenous fighter jet, developed in the 1960s.
9. Which university was the first modern university in India, and when was it established?
Answer: The University of Calcutta, established in 1857, was the first modern university in India.
10. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, and in which field?
Answer: Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, awarded in Literature in 1913.
11. What was the title of India’s first full-length feature film, and who directed it?
Answer: “Raja Harishchandra,” directed by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913, was India’s first full-length feature film.
12. Which was the first Indian talkie film, and when was it released?
Answer: “Alam Ara” was the first Indian talkie film, released in 1931.
13. Who was the first Indian to win an Olympic medal, and in which event?
Answer: Norman Pritchard was the first Indian to win an Olympic medal, earning silver in the 200 meters and 200 meters hurdles at the 1900 Paris Olympics.
14. Who won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal, and in which sport?
Answer: Abhinav Bindra won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
15. When did the Indian cricket team win its first ICC Cricket World Cup?
Answer: The Indian cricket team won its first ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983.
16. What was the name of the first bank established in India, and when?
Answer: The Bank of Hindustan, established in 1770, was the first bank in India.
17. When did India’s first passenger train service start, and between which locations?
Answer: India’s first passenger train service started on April 16, 1853, running from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane.
18. Who was the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, and when did she achieve this?
Answer: Bachendri Pal was the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest, achieving this feat in 1984.
19. Who was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title, and in which year?
Answer: Reita Faria was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title in 1966.
20. Who was the first Indian astronaut to go to space, and in which year?
Answer: Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian astronaut to go to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11.
21. Which was the first Indian state to be formed on a linguistic basis, and when?
Answer: Andhra Pradesh was the first Indian state to be formed on a linguistic basis in 1953.
22. Who was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, and which state did she govern?
Answer: Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, governing Uttar Pradesh from 1947 to 1949.
23. Who was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize, and for which novel?
Answer: Arundhati Roy was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize for her novel “The God of Small Things” in 1997.
24. What was the name of India’s first dedicated meteorological satellite, and when was it launched?
Answer: INSAT-1A was India’s first dedicated meteorological satellite, launched in 1982.
25. Who was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel, and when did he achieve this feat?
Answer: Mihir Sen was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel, achieving this feat in 1958.
