Pranab Mukherjee

Pranab Mukherjee married Suvra Mukherjee (nee Ghosh) in 1957. The couple had three children: two sons and one daughter. His wife died of an illness in August 2015.

Pranab Mukherjee was born on 11 December 1935 in Mirati in Birbhum District in West Bengal, India, into a Brahmin family. His parents were freedom fighters, Shri Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee and Rajlakshmi. His father was very active in the Indian independence movement and was jailed several times for his involvement in the freedom struggle. His father was also a longtime member of the Indian National Congress.

Mukherjee attended the Suri Vidyasagar College in Suri and earned an MA degree in political science and history. He then furthered his education and received an LL.B degree from the department of law of the University of Calcutta.

Pranab Mukherjee embarked on a professional career as a college teacher when he began teaching political science at the Vidyanagar College in 1963. He also worked as a journalist for some time with the ‘Desher Dak’ (Call of Motherland).

He ventured into politics in 1969 when he became a member of the Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi recognized Mukherjee's potential and helped him join her party, the Indian National Congress (INC). She mentored him during his initial years in politics and played a significant role in his growth and development a as politician.

He quickly rose through the ranks in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet and became the Deputy Leader of the INC in the Rajya Sabha in 1979, and was appointed Leader of the House in 1980. He went on to serve as the Finance Minister from 1982 to 1984.

He was sidelined from the INC after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 following which her son Rajiv gained control. In 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and P. V. Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister.

Rao appointed Pranab Mukherjee as deputy chairman of the Indian planning commission in 1991 and subsequently as a union cabinet minister. Pranab Mukherjee’s political career revived and he also served as External Affairs Minister from 1995 to 1996 in Rao's cabinet.

During his second term as the External Affairs Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee oversaw the successful signing of the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement with the U.S. government and then with the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The agreement allowed India to participate in civilian nuclear trade in spite of not having signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

During his first stint as the Finance Minister in the early 1980s, he was credited with being an early reformer of the Indian economy. After assuming this post once again in 2009 he presented the annual budgets in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He also expanded funding for several social sector schemes including the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.