First in Independent India
First (Male) in Independent India
The following table enlists First in India (in male category) after independence:
| The First (Male) of Independent India | Name | Tenure/Time | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who was the First President | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | Jan. 26, 1950 to May 14, 1962 |  |
| Who was the First Prime Minister | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru | Aug. 15, 1947 to May 27, 1964 |  |
| Who was the First (& last) Indian Governor General | C. Rajagopalachari | June 21, 1948 to Jan. 26 1950 |  |
| The First Indian who went in Space | Rakesh Sharma | 1984 Mission: Soyuz T-11 |  |
| Who was the First Commander-in-Chief | Kodandera Madappa Cariappa | Jan. 16, 1949 to Jan. 14, 1953 |  |
| Who was the First President who died while in office | Zakir Husain | May 13, 1967 to May 3, 1969 |  |
| Who was the First Prime Minister who did not face the Parliament | Charan Singh | July, 28 1979 to January 14, 1980 |  |
| Who was the First Field Marshal of India | S.H.F. Jamshedji Manekshaw | June 8, 1969 to Jan. 15, 1973 |  |
| Who was the First Indian who crossed the English Channel | Mihir Sen | 1958 |  |
| Who did receive the First Jnanpith Award | G. Sankara Kurup | 1965 |  |
| Who was the First Speaker of Lok Sabha | Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar | May 15, 1952 to Jan. 13 1956 |  |
| Who was the First Air Chief Marshal | Subroto Mukerjee | April 1954 to Nov. 1960 |  |
| Who was the First Education Minister | Abul Kalam Azad | Aug. 15, 1947 to Feb. 2, 1958 |  |
| Who was the First Home Minister (& First Deputy Prime Minister) | Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel | Aug. 15, 1947 to Dec. 15, 1950 |  |
| Who was the First Vice-President | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan | Jan. 26 1952 to May 12, 1962 |  |
| Who was the First Naval Chief | Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari | April 22, 1958 to June 4, 1962 |  |
| Who was the First (Indian) President of the International Court of Justice (Hague) | Dr. Nagendra Singh | 1985 to 1988 |  |
| Who did First receive Param Vir Chakra | Major Som Nath Sharma |  |
|
| Who did First receive Ramon Magsaysay Award | Acharya Vinoba Bhave | 1958 |  |
| Who was the First Indian who received Nobel Prize in Medicine | Har Gobind Khorana | 1968 |  |
| The First Indian who received Stalin (now Lenin) Peace Prize | Saifuddin Kitchlew | 1952 |  |
| Who was the First Chief Justice of Supreme Court | Justice Hirala J. Kania | Jan. 26, 1950 to Nov. 6, 1951 |  |
| The First person (Indian) who received Nobel Prize in Economics | Amartya Sen | 1998 |  |
| Who was the First person resigned from the Central Cabinet | Shyama Prasad Mukherjee | April 6, 1950 |  |
| Who was the First Chief Justice of Supreme Court Acted as the President of India (Acting President) | Justice M. Hidayatullah | July 20, 1969 to Aug. 24, 1969 |  |
| Who was the First Finance Minister | Shanmukham Chetty | 1947 to 1949 |  |
| Who was the First Prime Minister resigned without completing his tenure | Morarji Desai | March 24, 1977 to July 28, 1979 Resigned in - 1979 |  |
| Who was the First Defence Minister | Baldev Singh | 1947–1952 |  |
| Who was the First Law Minister | Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar | Aug. 15, 1947 to Sep. 1951 |  |
| Who was the First Chief Minister died during his tenure | C. N. Annadurai | Feb. 1967 to Feb. 3, 1969 Died in Feb. 3, 1969 |  |
First (Female) in Independent India
The following table enlists First in India (in female category) after independence −
| The First (Female) of Independent India | Female | Tenure/Time | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Woman who became Cabinet Minister (She was Health Minister) | Rajkumari Amrit Kaur | 1947 to 1957 |  |
| Who was the First Woman Governor (of a state)(She served as governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh) | Mrs. Sarojini Naidu | 1947 to 1949 |  |
| Who was the First (& only) Woman Prime Minister | Mrs. Indira Gandhi | Jan. 24, 1966 to March 24, 1977 & Jan. 14, 1980 to Oct. 31, 1984 |  |
| Who was the First Woman Judge of Supreme Court | Justice M. Fathima Beevi | Oct. 6, 1989 to April 29, 1992 |  |
| Who was the First Woman Ambassador (First woman who cleared Indian Civil Services Exam and first woman who joined Indian Foreign Service) | Miss C. B. Muthamma | Joined IFS in 1949 |  |
| Who was the First Woman President of the United Nations General Assembly | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit | 1953 |  |
| Who was the First Woman Chief Minister of state | Sucheta Kriplani | Oct. 2, 1963 to March 13, 1967 |  |
| Who was the First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha | Meira Kumar | June 4, 2009 to May 18, 2014 |  |
| Who was the First woman crossed the English Channel (She is first Indian female sportsperson who received Padma Shri in 1960) | Arati Saha | 1959 |  |
| Who was the First woman cosmonaut (from India) | Kalpana Chawla | In 1997, first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia |  |
| Who was the First Indian woman received Academy Award (for Best Costume Design) | Bhanu Athaiya | 1982 (for movie Gandhi) |  |
| The first Indian female gymnast who won Medal at Commonwealth Games | Dipa Karmakar | 2014 |  |
| Who did receive the First title of Miss World | Reita Faria | 1966 |  |
| Who did receive the First title of Miss Universe | Sushmita Sen | 1994 |  |
| Who was the First Woman President | Pratibha Devisingh Patil | July 25, 2007 to July 25, 2012 |  |
| Who was the First (female) train driver | Surekha Yadav | 1988 |  |
| Who was the First woman commercial Pilot | Durba Banerjee | 1956 |  |
| The first Indian woman who received the ‘Légion d'honneur’ | Dr. Asha Pande | 2010 |  |
| The youngest woman who achieved the title of grandmaster (Chess) | Humpy Koneru | 2001 |  |
| Who is the first 100% visually challenged Indian Foreign Service Officer | NL Beno Zephine | 2015 |  |
| The First woman who received Jnanpith Award | Ashapoorna Devi | 1976 |  |
| The First woman who received the ‘Bharat Ratna’ award | Indira Gandhi | 1971 | |
| The first woman (in the world) who climbed Mount Everest twice | Santosh Yadav | First in – 1992 & Second time in 1993 |  |
First in India Before Independence
The following table enlists First in India before independence −
| The First in India (Before Independence) | Name | Tenure/Time | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who was the First President of Indian National Congress | Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee | 1885 |  |
| The First person who cleared the Indian Civil Service Exam (ICS) | Satyendranath Tagore | 1863 |  |
| The First person who received a Nobel Prize (in literature) | Rabindra Nath Tagore | 1913 |  |
| The First person who received a Nobel Prize (in Physics) | C. V. Raman | 1930 |  |
| The First Indian who became a pilot (of solo air flight) | Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (JRD Tata) | 1929 |  |
| The First Indian leader who visited England | Raja Ram Mohan Roy | 1832 |  |
| The first Indian who was appointed as member of the British House of Lords | Satyendra Prasanno Sinha | 1919 |  |
| Who were the first (two) female graduates | Kadambini Ganguly | Passed in 1882 & degree received in 1883 |  |
| Who were the first (two) female graduates | Chandramukhi Basu | Passed in 1882 & degree received in 1883 |  |
| Who was the First woman honors graduate | Kamini Roy | 1886 |  |
| Who the first woman to read law at Oxford University (She was the first female advocate) | Cornelia Sorabji | 1889 |  |