SATHEE: First in India - Quick Revision

First in India - Quick Revision

First President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1950)
First Prime Minister of India – Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (1947)
First Indian Governor-General of Independent India – C. Rajagopalachari (1948)
First Woman President of India – Pratibha Patil (2007)
First Woman Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi (1966)
First Indian to win Nobel Prize – Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913)
First Indian in Space – Rakesh Sharma (1984, aboard Soyuz T-11)
First Indian Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla (1997, NASA shuttle Columbia)
First Bharat Ratna Awardee – C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C. V. Raman (1954)
First Indian Oscar Winner – Bhanu Athaiya (Best Costume Design, 1983)
First Indian to climb Mount Everest – Tenzing Norgay (with Edmund Hillary, 1953)
First Indian Woman to climb Mount Everest – Bachendri Pal (1984)
First Indian to win Individual Olympic Gold – Abhinav Bindra (Shooting, 2008)
First Speaker of Lok Sabha – G. V. Mavalankar (1952)
First Chief Justice of India – H. J. Kania (1950)
First Indian Pilot – J. R. D. Tata (1929)
First Woman Judge in Supreme Court – M. Fathima Beevi (1989)
First Indian to win Miss World – Reita Faria (1966)

Formula/Rule	Application
Rule of Firsts	Always link the year with the post/event for quick recall
President before PM	Remember President is ceremonial head; PM is executive head
Space = Sharma & Chawla	Rakesh Sharma (1st Indian), Kalpana Chawla (1st Indian woman)
Nobel = Tagore	First Indian Nobel = Rabindranath Tagore (1913)
Olympic Gold = Bindra	First individual Olympic gold = Abhinav Bindra (2008)
Bharat Ratna = 1954	First Bharat Ratna awarded in 1954 to 3 people
Mount Everest = 1953	First ascent by Indian (Norgay) in 1953
Oscar = Bhanu Athaiya	First Indian Oscar winner (1983)

“PRIME Nehru, PRESIDENT Rajendra” – P for Prime = Pt. Nehru; P for President = Rajendra Prasad
“TAGore TAGged Nobel First” – Tagore = First Nobel
“Sharma in Space, Chawla in Stars” – Rakesh Sharma (male), Kalpana Chawla (female)
“Bindra’s Bull’s-eye Gold” – Abhinav Bindra = Shooting = Gold
“Beevi in Black Robe” – M. Fathima Beevi = First woman SC judge

Mistake	Correct Approach
Confusing first PM with President	PM = Nehru; President = Rajendra Prasad
Thinking Kalpana Chawla was first Indian in space	Rakesh Sharma was first Indian in space
Tagore vs CV Raman for first Nobel	Tagore (1913) before CV Raman (1930)
First woman President vs PM	Pratibha Patil = President; Indira Gandhi = PM
First Oscar vs first Indian Oscar winner	Bhanu Athaiya = first Indian Oscar winner (not film)

1. Who was the first President of India?

> Dr. Rajendra Prasad

2. First Indian woman in space?

> Kalpana Chawla

3. First Indian to win individual Olympic gold?

> Abhinav Bindra

4. First Bharat Ratna awarded in which year?

> 1954

5. First Indian to win Nobel Prize?

> Rabindranath Tagore