Kettlebells, Varahagiri Venkata

Born into the family of a successful lawyer and member of the Indian National Congress . Parents spoke Telugu .

In 1916 he graduated from Dublin University College , where he studied law. On suspicion of participating in the Easter Uprising , he was expelled from Ireland. After returning to India, he joined the Indian National Congress and entered the service of the Supreme Court of Madras. In 1922, he was arrested for the first time while participating in a demonstration against the sale of alcohol in stores.

In 1922, he would be elected Secretary General, and then President of the All-India Federation of Railway Workers. In 1926 he was elected president of the All-India Congress of Trade Unions, in 1929 he participated in the creation of the All-India Federation of Trade Unions and became one of its leaders. In 1928, he led the strike of railway workers in Bengal, which forced the British government to make concessions.

In 1934 he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly, of which he was a member until 1937. He was the official representative for labor protection and trade unions. In 1937-1939 - Minister of Labor, Industry and Cooperation in the Government of the Madras Province. At the same time in 1938 he became chairman of the National Planning Committee of the Indian National Congress.

During the Second World War (1939-1945) he was imprisoned for his active participation in the anti-colonial movement. In 1946-1947 - Minister of Labor and Industry in the government of Madras, in 1947-1951. - The first ambassador of independent India in Ceylon.

In 1952-1954 - Minister of Labor in the Government of India. He advocated negotiations between employers and employees in order to resolve labor disputes. He resigned after the decision to reduce salaries by bank employees. He played an important role in the creation of the Indian Society of Labor Economics.

He served as governor of the following states: Uttar Pradesh (1956-1960), Kerala (1960-1965), Mysore (1965-1967). In 1967, he became vice president of India and chairman of the upper house of parliament (state council), and in 1969 he was appointed acting president of India after the sudden death of Zakir Hussein .

On August 24, 1969, he took office as president of the country. His election was accompanied by a sharp confrontation between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the old party guard of the INC, known as the Syndicate. The All India Congress Committee decided to support the candidacy of Nilam Sanjeev Reddy , Giri, who served as vice president, announced that he would run as an independent candidate and received the approval of Prime Minister Gandhi. In the final vote count, Giri won, receiving 420,077 votes with a quota of 418,169 votes. In response, the Supreme Court of India was sent an appeal declaring the vote illegal, as they tried to bribe the electors. Giri decided to personally appear in court, where he was questioned as a witness. The court ultimately rejected the motion and supported the election of the politician as president. As head of state, he made 14 state visits to 22 countries of South and Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. It is considered as a president who was completely subordinate to the prime minister and was often called the "president of the prime minister."

He is the author of Industrial Relations, Labor Problems in Indian Industry, Jobs for Our Millions.

Honorary Doctor of Moscow University since 1970. In 1974, the Indian Post and Telegraph Department issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting a politician. In 1995, his name was given to the National Institute of Labor. In the hometown of Berkhampur, the former head of state, the main road, high school and market are named after him.

In 1975, he was awarded the highest civilian state award of India Bharat Ratna . He was awarded the anniversary medal of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire .

• Varahagiri Venkata Giri (People and Events) // New time . - M. , 1969. - No. 20 . - S. 4 .

• VV Giri at britannica.com