“First in India” is one of the most important and frequently asked Static GK themes in all competitive exams (SSC, UPSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, and State PSCs).
Questions like “Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?” or “Which is India’s first satellite?” are almost guaranteed to appear in GK sections.
Here’s a simple-English, exam-focused article on ‘First in India’, with neatly divided sections, facts, and a revision table at the end
Introduction
India’s history is full of great achievements and milestones that mark the country’s growth in politics, science, sports, culture, and society.
Many people and institutions have created “firsts” that paved the way for others to follow.
Knowing these ‘first in India’ facts helps us understand how India has developed in different fields over time and is very useful for competitive exams.
1. First in Politics and Leadership
| Title / Position | Name | Year / Details |
|---|---|---|
| First President of India | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | 1950 |
| First Vice President of India | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan | 1952 |
| First Prime Minister of India | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru | 1947 |
| First Woman Prime Minister of India | Indira Gandhi | 1966 |
| First Woman President of India | Pratibha Patil | 2007 |
| First President from the Tribal Community | Droupadi Murmu | 2022 |
| First Vice President from South India | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan | 1952 |
| First Governor General of Independent India | Lord Mountbatten | 1947 |
| First Indian Governor General | C. Rajagopalachari | 1948 |
| First Chief Justice of India | Justice H. J. Kania | 1950 |
| First Woman Chief Minister of a State | Sucheta Kriplani (Uttar Pradesh) | 1963 |
| First Woman Governor | Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh) | 1947 |
| First Speaker of Lok Sabha | G. V. Mavalankar | 1952 |
| First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha | Meira Kumar | 2009 |
| First Election Commissioner | Sukumar Sen | 1950 |
Key Fact: Pratibha Patil remains the only woman President in India’s history so far.
2. First in Science, Space, and Technology
| Category | Achievement | Year / Details |
|---|---|---|
| First Satellite of India | Aryabhata | 1975 |
| First Nuclear Test | Pokhran-I (Smiling Buddha) | 1974 |
| First Indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle | SLV-3 | 1980 |
| First Indian in Space | Rakesh Sharma | 1984 (Soyuz T-11 mission) |
| First Satellite Built by ISRO | Aryabhata | 1975 |
| First Moon Mission | Chandrayaan-1 | 2008 |
| First Mars Mission | Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) | 2013 |
| First Indigenous Supercomputer | PARAM 8000 | 1991 |
| First Indian Woman in Space | Kalpana Chawla | 1997 |
| First Indian Woman Scientist in ISRO’s Mars Mission | Nandini Harinath | 2013 |
Key Fact: Mangalyaan (2013) made India the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt.
3. First in Judiciary and Law
| Title | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| First Chief Justice of India | H. J. Kania | 1950 |
| First Woman Judge of Supreme Court | Justice M. Fathima Beevi | 1989 |
| First Chief Justice of High Court (Woman) | Leila Seth | 1991 |
| First Dalit Chief Justice of India | K. G. Balakrishnan | 2007 |
Key Fact: Justice Fathima Beevi opened the door for women in India’s higher judiciary.
4. First in Sports
| Achievement | Name / Event | Year |
|---|---|---|
| First Indian to Win Olympic Medal (Individual) | K. D. Jadhav (Wrestling) | 1952 |
| First Indian to Win Gold Medal (Individual) | Abhinav Bindra (Shooting) | 2008 |
| First Woman to Win Olympic Medal | Karnam Malleswari (Weightlifting) | 2000 |
| First Woman to Win Olympic Silver | P. V. Sindhu (Badminton) | 2016 |
| First Indian to Climb Mount Everest | Tenzing Norgay (with Edmund Hillary) | 1953 |
| First Indian Woman to Climb Mount Everest | Bachendri Pal | 1984 |
| First Indian Formula 1 Driver | Narain Karthikeyan | 2005 |
| First Indian Grandmaster (Chess) | Viswanathan Anand | 1988 |
Key Fact: Abhinav Bindra remains India’s only individual Olympic gold medalist.
5. First in Economy and Finance
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| First Bank in India | Bank of Hindustan |
| First Indian-Owned Bank | Allahabad Bank |
| First Governor of RBI | Sir Osborne Smith |
| First Indian Governor of RBI | C. D. Deshmukh |
| First Five-Year Plan Launched | 1951 |
| First Stock Exchange in India | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) |
Key Fact: The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is Asia’s oldest stock exchange.
6. First in Defence and Security
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| First Field Marshal of India | Sam Manekshaw |
| First Param Vir Chakra Winner | Major Somnath Sharma (1947, Kashmir) |
| First Woman Fighter Pilot | Avani Chaturvedi |
| First Aircraft Carrier of India | INS Vikrant |
| First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier | INS Vikrant (new) |
Key Fact: Sam Manekshaw led India to victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, creating Bangladesh.
7. First in Education and Culture
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| First University in India (Modern) | University of Calcutta |
| First IIT | IIT Kharagpur |
| First Medical College | Calcutta Medical College |
| First Open University | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University |
| First National Museum | National Museum, New Delhi |
| First Indian Nobel Laureate | Rabindranath Tagore (Literature) |
| First Indian to Receive Bharat Ratna | C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, C. V. Raman |
Key Fact: Rabindranath Tagore was also the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize.
Quick Revision Table (At a Glance)
| Category | First in India | Name / Event | Year / Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | First President of India | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | 1950 |
| Prime Minister | First Prime Minister of India | Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru | 1947 |
| Woman Prime Minister | First Woman Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi | 1966 |
| Woman President | First Woman President | Pratibha Patil | 2007 |
| President from Tribal Community | First Tribal President | Droupadi Murmu | 2022 |
| Governor-General (Indian) | First Indian Governor-General | C. Rajagopalachari | 1948 |
| Chief Justice of India | First Chief Justice | Justice H. J. Kania | 1950 |
| Woman Chief Minister | First Woman Chief Minister | Sucheta Kriplani (Uttar Pradesh) | 1963 |
| Woman Governor | First Woman Governor | Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh) | 1947 |
| Chief Election Commissioner | First Election Commissioner | Sukumar Sen | 1950 |
| Indian in Space | First Indian in Space | Rakesh Sharma | 1984 (Soyuz T-11 Mission) |
| Woman in Space | First Indian Woman in Space | Kalpana Chawla | 1997 |
| Satellite | First Indian Satellite | Aryabhata | 1975 (Launched by USSR) |
| Nuclear Test | First Nuclear Test | Pokhran-I (Smiling Buddha) | 1974 |
| Moon Mission | First Lunar Mission | Chandrayaan-1 | 2008 |
| Mars Mission | First Mars Mission | Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) | 2013 |
| Supercomputer | First Indigenous Supercomputer | PARAM 8000 | 1991 |
| Olympic Medal (Individual) | First Individual Olympic Medal | K. D. Jadhav (Wrestling) | 1952 Helsinki |
| Olympic Gold (Individual) | First Individual Olympic Gold | Abhinav Bindra (Shooting) | 2008 Beijing |
| Woman Olympic Medalist | First Indian Woman Olympic Medalist | Karnam Malleswari (Weightlifting) | 2000 Sydney |
| Woman Olympic Silver | First Woman Olympic Silver | P. V. Sindhu (Badminton) | 2016 Rio |
| Everest Climber (Man) | First Indian to Climb Mount Everest | Tenzing Norgay (with Hillary) | 1953 |
| Everest Climber (Woman) | First Indian Woman to Climb Mount Everest | Bachendri Pal | 1984 |
| Grandmaster (Chess) | First Indian Chess Grandmaster | Viswanathan Anand | 1988 |
| Bank | First Bank in India | Bank of Hindustan | 1770 (Closed in 1832) |
| Indian-Owned Bank | First Indian-Owned Bank | Allahabad Bank | 1865 |
| Stock Exchange | First Stock Exchange in India | Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) | 1875 |
| Governor of RBI (Indian) | First Indian RBI Governor | C. D. Deshmukh | 1943 |
| Field Marshal | First Field Marshal of India | Sam Manekshaw | 1973 |
| Param Vir Chakra Awardee | First Recipient | Major Somnath Sharma | 1947 (J&K) |
| Woman Fighter Pilot | First Woman Fighter Pilot | Avani Chaturvedi | 2016 |
| Aircraft Carrier (Old) | First Aircraft Carrier | INS Vikrant | 1961 (acquired from UK) |
| Indigenous Aircraft Carrier | First Made-in-India Carrier | INS Vikrant (New) | 2022 |
| University (Modern) | First Modern University | University of Calcutta | 1857 |
| IIT | First Indian Institute of Technology | IIT Kharagpur | 1951 |
| Medical College | First Medical College | Calcutta Medical College | 1835 |
| Indian Nobel Laureate | First Nobel Laureate (Literature) | Rabindranath Tagore | 1913 |
| Bharat Ratna Recipient | First Recipients (Jointly) | C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, C. V. Raman | 1954 |
Interesting Facts
- India’s first general elections were held in 1951–52.
- Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort for the first time on 15 August 1947.
- Rakesh Sharma’s famous line from space: “Saare Jahan Se Achha, Hindustan Hamara.”
- Kalpana Chawla became a symbol of inspiration for young Indian scientists worldwide.
- The first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, joined the service in 1972.
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