Delinker at 14:47, 25 July 2023

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{{Short description|Spouse of the President of India.}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = First Lady of India
| body =
| native_name =
| image = Savita Kovind in 2018.jpg
| caption = Savita Kovind in 2018.
| incumbent = [[Savita Kovind]]
| deputy = [[Spouse of the Vice President of India]]
| residence = {{plainlist|
*[[Rashtrapati Bhavan]], [[Delhi]] {{small|(primary)}}
*[[Rashtrapati Nilayam]], [[Hyderabad]] {{small|(winter)}}
*[[The Retreat Building]], [[Shimla]] {{small|(summer)}}}}
| incumbentsince = 25 July 2017
| insignia = Emblem of India.svg
| insigniasize = 50px
| insigniacaption = [[Emblem of India|State Emblem of India]]
| flag = Flag of India.svg
| flagsize = 110px
| flagcaption = [[Flag of India]]
| formation = {{start date and age|1950|1|26|df=y}}
| inaugural = Rajvanshi Devi
| website =
}}
{{Politics of India}}
'''First Lady of India''' or '''First Gentleman of India''' is the title given to the spouse of the [[President of India]] and is the official host/hostess of the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]]. There are no official roles or duties assigned to the spouse but he or she generally attends the official ceremonies and functions.<ref name=indexp>{{cite news |first=Nandini |last=Rathi |title=Savita Kovind enters Rashtrapati Bhavan, but India’s First Ladies are yet to make a mark |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/savita-kovind-enters-rashtrapati-bhavan-but-indias-first-ladies-are-yet-to-make-any-mark-4767676/ |work=[[Indian Express]] |date=2017-07-26 |access-date=2017-09-12}}</ref>

The position of [[First Lady]] of India is currently held by [[Savita Kovind]], wife of President [[Ram Nath Kovind]]. She assumed the position after her husband took the oath of office to the post of president on 25 July 2017.<ref name=indexp/>

The role should not be confused with the [[spouse of the Prime Minister of India|spouse of the prime minister of India]].

==History==
Rajvanshi Devi, wife of India's first president, was the country's first first lady from 1950 until 1962.<ref name=indexp/> Devi kept a very low profile during this era and did not attend public events with President [[Rajendra Prasad]].<ref name=indexp/>

Saraswati Bai, wife of the country's fourth president, [[V. V. Giri]], was the first first lady to take a more public role.<ref name=indexp/> Bai's role marked a change from the lower profile of her predecessors.<ref name=indexp/> She attended and hosted public events and became a recognizable figure to the Indian public.<ref name=indexp/>

[[Begum Abida Ahmed]], India's first lady from 1974 to 1977, further expanded the public role of the first lady's position by organizing ceremonies and official functions at the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]].<ref name="indexp" /> She was also the first among the first spouses to hold a public office, when she was [[Member of parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]] between 1980 and 1989.

[[Usha Narayanan]] was the first first spouse of foreign origin.

Before [[Pratibha Patil]] was sworn in as the first female president of India, the role of the wives of the president were to act as the chief hostess of the Bhavan. In 2007, the office room meant for the first lady went for some minor changes to accommodate the husband of Pratibha Patil, [[Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat]], the country's inaugural "first gentleman".<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=The first ladies of Rashtrapati Bhavan|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/xRTTVgpPc6llFXcJrddTPI/Views--The-first-ladies-of-Rashtrapati-Bhavan.html|website=Live Mint|publisher=HT Media Ltd|access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref>

Former first lady [[Suvra Mukherjee]], the wife of President [[Pranab Mukherjee]], died in office on 18 August 2015. The position of First Lady remained vacant for the remainder of President Mukherjee's term.<ref name=jha>{{cite news|first=Durgesh |last=Nandan Jha |title=Suvra Mukherjee, President Pranab Mukherjee's wife, passes away |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Suvra-Mukherjee-President-Pranab-Mukherjees-wife-passes-away/articleshow/48524004.cms |work=[[Times of India]] |date=23 August 2015 |access-date=2015-08-23}}</ref>

The current first lady [[Savita Kovind]] has assumed the position since 2017.

== Role ==
The role of a first spouse is largely ceremonial. The first spouse has no official duties, but he or she generally attends the official ceremonies and functions held at the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] along with the president. Most of the first spouses have maintained a low profile.<ref name=":0"/>

=== Non-spouses in the role ===
In case of the absence of a spouse, another relative of the President may take up the role of host or hostess during official functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, this is not mandatory, and the role of hostess has been vacant during the tenure of [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]].<ref name=":0" />

[[Zail Singh]]'s daughter had served as hostess for some events.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ramachandran|first=Smriti Kak|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/presidents-daughter-turns-politician/article6252972.ece|title=President’s daughter turns politician|date=2014-07-27|work=The Hindu|access-date=2020-03-12|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> [[Pranab Mukherjee]]'s daughter [[Sharmistha Mukherjee]] served as hostess for some events, during her mother's illness.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sandhu|first=Veenu|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/sharmistha-mukherjee-chose-not-to-live-in-india-s-biggest-house-113040500489_1.html|title=Sharmistha Mukherjee chose not to live in India's biggest house|date=2013-04-05|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2020-03-12}}</ref>

==List of first ladies and gentlemen of India==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:Center;"
! class="unsortable" |<abbr title="Number">{{font|[[President of India|President]]|size=75%}}</abbr> <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr>
! class="unsortable" |Portrait
! class="unsortable" |Name
! class="unsortable" |Tenure
! class="unsortable" |Reason of tenure end or vacancy
! class="unsortable" |President
|-
!1
|[[File:Rajvanshi_Devi_at_a_Rashtrapati_Bhavan_ceremony_(cropped).jpg|112x112px]]
|<big>'''[[Rajvanshi Devi]]'''</big> <ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Rajendra Prasad –> 1st President of India|url=http://blogs.rediff.com/sanjis/2009/01/25/dr-rajendra-prasad-1st-president-of-india-family-relation/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704040618/http://blogs.rediff.com/sanjis/2009/01/25/dr-rajendra-prasad-1st-president-of-india-family-relation/|archive-date=4 July 2010|access-date=19 August 2015|website=Rediff.com}}</ref>
|26 January 1950 – 12 May 1962
|President's end of tenure
|[[Rajendra Prasad]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1896}}
|-
!2
| colspan="3" |''Vacant''{{efn|Sivakamu Radhakrishnan, wife of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan died at her home in Madras in 1956, before her husband became President. She was the Second Lady of India at the time of her death.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gandhi|first=Gopalkrishna|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/gopalkrishnagandhi/only-half-our-story/article1-1001877.aspx|title=Only half our story|date=2013-01-26|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|access-date=2015-08-23|author-link=Gopalkrishna Gandhi}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>}}
|President was a widower
|[[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]]
|-
!3
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Shah Jahan Begum]]'''</big> <ref>{{cite web|title=ZAKIR HUSAIN, DR.|url=http://www.vicepresidentofindia.nic.in/zakirn.asp|access-date=19 August 2015|website=Vice President of India}}</ref>
|13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969
|President died in office
|[[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1915}}
|-
!4
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Saraswati Bai]]'''</big>
|3 May 1969 – 20 July 1969
|Husband was Acting President
|[[V. V. Giri]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1917}}
|-
!5
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Pushpa Shah]]'''</big>{{efn|Second Lady of India from 1979–1984}}
|20 July 1969 – 24 August 1969
|Husband was Acting President
|[[Mohammad Hidayatullah]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1948}}
|-
!(4)
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Saraswati Bai]]'''</big>
|24 August 1969 – 24 August 1974
|President's end of tenure
|[[V. V. Giri]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1917}}
|-
!6
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Begum Abida Ahmed]]'''</big>
|24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977
|President died in office
|[[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1945}}
|-
!7
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Sangamma Jatti]]'''</big>
|11 February 1977 – 25 July 1977
|Husband was Acting President
|[[B. D. Jatti]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1922}}
|-
!8
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Neelam Nagaratnamma Reddy]]'''</big> <ref>{{cite news|date=2010-01-12|title=Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy’s wife passes away|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/article79202.ece|access-date=2015-08-23}}</ref>
|25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982
|President's end of tenure
|[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1935}}
|-
!9
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Pardhan Kaur]]'''</big>{{efn|[[Zail Singh]]'s daughter had served as hostess for some events.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ramachandran|first=Smriti Kak|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/presidents-daughter-turns-politician/article6252972.ece|title=President’s daughter turns politician|date=2014-07-27|work=The Hindu|access-date=2020-03-12|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name="mint">{{cite web|title=The first ladies of Rashtrapati Bhavan|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/xRTTVgpPc6llFXcJrddTPI/Views--The-first-ladies-of-Rashtrapati-Bhavan.html|website=Live Mint|publisher=HT Media Ltd|access-date=19 August 2015}}</ref>}} <ref>{{cite news|date=12 May 2002|title=Giani Zail Singh's widow dead|newspaper=The Tribune|location=India|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020512/main4.htm|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="nytimes2">{{cite news|last=Hazarika|first=Sanjoy|date=1994-12-26|title=Zail Singh, 78, First Sikh To Hold India's Presidency|work=[[New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/26/obituaries/zail-singh-78-first-sikh-to-hold-india-s-presidency.html|access-date=2015-08-23}}</ref>
|25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987
|President's end of tenure
|[[Zail Singh]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1934}}
|-
!10
|
|<big>'''[[Janaki Venkataraman]]'''</big>
|25 July 1987 – 25 July 1992
|President's end of tenure
|[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1938}}
|-
!11
|[[File:No_image_(female).svg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Vimala Sharma]]'''</big> <ref>{{cite web|title=President Pranab Mukherjee pays tributes to Shanker Dayal Sharma|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/president-pranab-mukherjee-pays-tributes-to-shanker-dayal-sharma_1649491.html|access-date=19 August 2015|website=Zee News}}</ref>
|25 July 1992 – 25 July 1997
|President's end of tenure
|[[Shankar Dayal Sharma]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1950}}
|-
!12
|[[File:Usha_Narayanan.jpg|129x129px]]
|<big>'''[[Usha Narayanan]]'''</big>{{efn|India's first foreign born ([[Burma]]) First Lady and the first one of foreign origin<ref>{{cite web|title=Ex-First Lady Usha Narayanan dies at 86|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/exfirst-lady-usha-narayanan-dies-at-86/265309/|website=The Indian Express|publisher=The Indian Express Ltd}}</ref>}}
|25 July 1997 – 25 July 2002
|President's end of tenure
|[[K. R. Narayanan]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1951}}
|-
!13
| colspan="3" |''Vacant''{{efn|The role of hostess, during official functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, was vacant during the tenure of [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]].<ref name="mint"/>}}
|President was a bachelor
|[[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]]
|-
!14
|[[File:Devisingh_Ramsingh_Shekhawat,_the_First_Gentleman_of_India.jpg|110x110px]]
|<big>'''[[Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat]]'''</big>{{efn|Shekhawat was India's first and only First Gentleman.}} <ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-08-16|title=The constant gardener|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/the-constant-gardener/story-cHwxCj356pmvZTq3p8CZdK.html|access-date=2020-03-12|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|language=en}}</ref>
|25 July 2007 – 25 July 2012
|President's end of tenure
|[[Pratibha Patil]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1965}}
|-
!15
|[[File:Suvra Mukherjee.jpg|107x107px]]
|<big>'''[[Suvra Mukherjee]]'''</big>{{efn|Suvra Mukherjee was the first First Lady to die during her husband's presidency.}}{{efn|While the position of First Lady was vacant following the death of First Lady Suvra Mukherjee, Mukherjee's daughter, [[Sharmistha Mukherjee]], served as hostess for some events, during her mother's illness and following her death.}}
|25 July 2012 – 18 August 2015
|First Lady died in office
|[[Pranab Mukherjee]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1957}}
|-
!16
|[[File:Savita_Kovind in 2018.jpg|111x111px]]
|<big>'''[[Savita Kovind]]'''</big>
|25 July 2017 – present
|''Incumbent''
|[[Ram Nath Kovind]] {{small|{{abbr|m.|married}} 1974}}
|}

==See also==
* [[President of India]]
* [[Spouse of the Prime Minister of India]]
* [[Spouse of the Vice President of India]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{First Ladies and Gentlemen}}
{{Presidents of India}}

[[Category:First Ladies and Gentlemen of India| ]]
[[Category:Lists of spouses of national leaders|India]]
[[Category:India politics-related lists]]

First Ladies and Gentlemen of India - Revision history

Delinker at 14:47, 25 July 2023