First in India GK: Male & Female Category Wise List for Competitive Exams

By Rahul

Published on August 24, 2026

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First in India: Male & Female Category Wise

The First in India topic is an important part of Static GK and is frequently useful for competitive examinations such as WBCS, WBPSC, UPSC, SSC, Railway, Banking, Police and other State PSC exams. Questions are often asked about the first Indian man or woman to achieve a particular position, honour, record, educational distinction or milestone in different fields.

This First in India GK list brings together important first male and female achievers in India, covering politics and administration, defence, judiciary, education, science and technology, literature, sports, cinema, journalism, aviation and other significant fields. It includes notable milestones such as the first President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, military chiefs, astronauts, women achievers, university graduates, judges and other pioneering Indians.

First in India — Politics & Administration

Achievement	First Person
First Governor of Bengal	Robert Clive
First Governor-General of Bengal	Warren Hastings
First Governor-General of India	Lord William Bentinck
First Viceroy of India	Lord Canning
First Governor-General of independent India	Lord Louis Mountbatten
First Indian Governor-General of independent India	C. Rajagopalachari
First President of India	Dr. Rajendra Prasad
First Prime Minister of India	Jawaharlal Nehru
First Vice-President of India	Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
First Home Minister of independent India	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
First Education Minister of independent India	Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
First Speaker of the Lok Sabha	G. V. Mavalankar
First Chief Election Commissioner of India	Sukumar Sen
First President of the Indian National Congress	W. C. Bonnerjee
First Muslim President of the Indian National Congress	Badruddin Tyabji
First woman President of the Indian National Congress	Annie Besant
First Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress	Sarojini Naidu
First woman Governor of an Indian state	Sarojini Naidu
First woman Prime Minister of India	Indira Gandhi
First woman President of India	Pratibha Patil
First woman Chief Minister of an Indian state	Sucheta Kriplani
First woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha	Meira Kumar
First Deputy Prime Minister of India	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
First Finance Minister of independent India	R. K. Shanmukham Chetty
First Law Minister of independent India	Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
First Defence Minister of independent India	Sardar Baldev Singh

Important distinction

Annie Besant was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress, while Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman to become Congress President. This distinction is frequently useful in competitive examinations.

Check First In the worlds Male & Female Gk

First in India — Judiciary & Law

Achievement	First Person
First Chief Justice of India	Justice H. J. Kania
First Indian Judge of the International Court of Justice	Dr. Nagendra Singh
First Indian High Court Judge	Justice Syed Mahmood
First woman judge in India	Justice Anna Chandy
First woman judge of a High Court	Justice Anna Chandy
First woman Chief Justice of a High Court	Justice Leila Seth
First woman judge of the Supreme Court of India	Justice M. Fathima Beevi
First Indian woman lawyer	Cornelia Sorabji
First Attorney General of India	M. C. Setalvad
First Solicitor General of India	C. K. Daphtary

First in India — Civil Services & Police

Achievement	First Person
First Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service	Satyendranath Tagore
First woman IAS officer	Anna Rajam Malhotra
First woman IPS officer	Kiran Bedi
First woman Indian Foreign Service officer	C. B. Muthamma
First woman Director General of Police	Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya
First Indian woman to join the Indian Foreign Service	C. B. Muthamma
First woman police officer to receive the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry	Kiran Bedi

First in India — Defence

Achievement	First Person / Entity
First Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army	General K. M. Cariappa
First Indian Chief of Army Staff	General Maharaj Rajendra Singhji
First Indian Chief of Air Staff	Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee
First Chief of the Indian Air Force	Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst
First Indian Chief of Naval Staff	Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari
First Field Marshal of India	Sam Manekshaw
First recipient of the Param Vir Chakra	Major Somnath Sharma
First woman Army officer	Captain Lakshmi Sahgal
First woman Air Marshal	P. Bandopadhyay
First woman fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force	Avani Chaturvedi
First woman pilot in the Indian Air Force to fly solo	Harita Kaur Deol
First woman to receive the Ashoka Chakra	Neerja Bhanot
First Chief of Defence Staff of India	General Bipin Rawat

The first three women fighter pilots commissioned into the Indian Air Force included Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh. Therefore, descriptions such as “first woman fighter pilot” should be worded carefully depending on the specific milestone being asked.

First in India — Science, Nuclear Research & Technology

Achievement	First Person / Entity
First Indian scientist to win a Nobel Prize	C. V. Raman
First Indian-origin Nobel laureate in Medicine	Har Gobind Khorana
First Indian-origin Nobel laureate in Physics	Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
First Indian Nobel laureate in Economics	Amartya Sen
First Indian in space	Rakesh Sharma
First Indian woman in space / woman of Indian origin in space	Kalpana Chawla
First nuclear reactor in India	Apsara
First nuclear test conducted by India	Pokhran-I (1974)
First indigenous Indian satellite	Aryabhata
First Indian supercomputer	PARAM 8000
First Indian missile	Prithvi
First medium-range ballistic missile developed by India	Agni
First Indian to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry	Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

First in India — Education & Academic Achievements

Achievement	First Person
First Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service	Satyendranath Tagore
First Indian women graduates	Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu
First Indian woman Honours graduate	Kamini Roy
First Indian woman physician trained in Western medicine	Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi
First Indian woman scientist	Kamala Sohonie
First Indian woman engineer	A. Lalitha
First woman Vice-Chancellor in India	Dr. Shanno Devi
First Indian woman to receive a medical degree in Western medicine	Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi

First in India — Space & Astronomy

Achievement	First Person
First Indian in space	Rakesh Sharma
First woman of Indian origin in space	Kalpana Chawla
First Indian-origin woman to travel to space	Kalpana Chawla
First Indian-origin woman to make two spaceflights	Kalpana Chawla

First in India — Sports & Adventure

Achievement	First Person
First Indian Olympic medalist	K. D. Jadhav
First Indian individual Olympic gold medalist	Abhinav Bindra
First Indian woman Olympic medalist	Karnam Malleswari
First Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal	P. V. Sindhu
First Indian to climb Mount Everest	Avtar Singh Cheema
First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest	Bachendri Pal
First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest twice	Santosh Yadav
First Indian to swim across the English Channel	Mihir Sen
First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel	Arati Saha
First Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal	Kamaljeet Sandhu
First Indian woman to win a WTA singles title	Sania Mirza
First Indian woman to become World No. 1 in badminton	Saina Nehwal
First Indian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal	Mary Kom
First Indian woman to win two Olympic medals	P. V. Sindhu

First in India — Aviation & Transport

Achievement	First Person
First Indian licensed pilot	J. R. D. Tata
First Indian woman to fly an aircraft	Sarla Thakral
First Indian woman commercial pilot	Prem Mathur
First Indian woman airline pilot	Durba Banerjee
First woman pilot in the Indian Air Force to fly solo	Harita Kaur Deol
First woman train driver in India	Surekha Yadav
First woman to drive a diesel locomotive in Asia	Mumtaz M. Kazi

First in India — Literature & Journalism

Achievement	First Person / Publication
First newspaper published in India	Bengal Gazette
First Indian Nobel laureate	Rabindranath Tagore
First Indian Nobel laureate in Literature	Rabindranath Tagore
First Indian recipient of the Jnanpith Award	G. Sankara Kurup
First Indian woman to receive the Jnanpith Award	Ashapurna Devi
First Indian woman to win the Booker Prize	Arundhati Roy
First Indian woman editor of an English newspaper	Dina Vakil
First newspaper in an Indian language	Samachar Darpan

First in India — Cinema & Entertainment

Achievement	First Person
First Indian woman actress	Durgabai Kamat
First Indian woman film producer/director	Fatma Begum
First Indian to receive an Academy Award (Oscar)	Bhanu Athaiya
First Indian woman to win Miss World	Reita Faria
First Indian woman to win Miss Universe	Sushmita Sen
First Indian actor to receive an honorary Oscar	Satyajit Ray
First Indian to win an Oscar for music	A. R. Rahman

Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award, for costume design for Gandhi. The fact is therefore a general Indian first, not merely a “first woman” fact.

First in India — Awards & Honours

Achievement	First Person
First Indian Nobel laureate	Rabindranath Tagore
First Indian scientist to win Nobel Prize	C. V. Raman
First Indian Nobel laureate in Economics	Amartya Sen
First Bharat Ratna awardees	C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman
First woman Bharat Ratna recipient	Indira Gandhi
First foreign recipient of Bharat Ratna	Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
First Indian recipient of Jnanpith Award	G. Sankara Kurup
First woman Jnanpith Award recipient	Ashapurna Devi
First Indian to receive an Academy Award	Bhanu Athaiya
First woman to receive the Ashoka Chakra	Neerja Bhanot
First Indian woman to win the Booker Prize	Arundhati Roy
First sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna	Sachin Tendulkar

First in India — International Achievements

Achievement	First Person
First Indian woman President of the UN General Assembly	Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
First Indian judge of the International Court of Justice	Dr. Nagendra Singh
First Indian President of the International Court of Justice	Dr. Nagendra Singh
First Indian to win Nobel Prize	Rabindranath Tagore
First Indian woman to win Nobel Prize	Mother Teresa
First Indian woman to become Miss World	Reita Faria
First Indian woman to become Miss Universe	Sushmita Sen
First Indian to swim across the English Channel	Mihir Sen
First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel	Arati Saha

First in India — Important Miscellaneous Firsts

Achievement	First Person / Entity
First Indian to introduce the printing press in India	James Augustus Hicky
First newspaper in India	Bengal Gazette
First railway line in India	Bombay to Thane
First passenger railway in India	Bombay to Thane
First Indian satellite	Aryabhata
First Indian supercomputer	PARAM 8000
First nuclear reactor in India	Apsara
First aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy	INS Vikrant
First nuclear submarine operated by India	INS Chakra
First Indian to reach the South Pole	Col. J. K. Bajaj
First Indian woman to reach the South Pole	Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu
First Indian woman to become a pilot	Sarla Thakral
First Indian woman to become a dentist	Vimal Sood
First Indian woman neurosurgeon	Dr. T. S. Kanaka
First Indian woman mining engineer	Chandrani Prasad Verma

Quick Revision — First in India One-Liners

For competitive examinations, the following one-liners are particularly important:

First President of India — Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
First Prime Minister of India — Jawaharlal Nehru.
First Vice-President of India — Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
First Indian Governor-General of independent India — C. Rajagopalachari.
First woman President of India — Pratibha Patil.
First woman Prime Minister of India — Indira Gandhi.
First woman Chief Minister of an Indian state — Sucheta Kriplani.
First woman Governor of an Indian state — Sarojini Naidu.
First Chief Justice of India — Justice H. J. Kania.
First Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Army — General K. M. Cariappa.
First Indian Chief of Air Staff — Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee.
First Indian Chief of Naval Staff — Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari.
First Indian Nobel laureate — Rabindranath Tagore.
First Indian scientist to win a Nobel Prize — C. V. Raman.
First Indian in space — Rakesh Sharma.
First woman of Indian origin in space — Kalpana Chawla.
First Indian to climb Mount Everest — Avtar Singh Cheema.
First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest — Bachendri Pal.
First Indian Olympic medalist — K. D. Jadhav.
First Indian individual Olympic gold medalist — Abhinav Bindra.
First Indian woman Olympic medalist — Karnam Malleswari.
First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel — Arati Saha.
First Indian to swim across the English Channel — Mihir Sen.
First Indian woman IPS officer — Kiran Bedi.
First Indian woman IAS officer — Anna Rajam Malhotra.
First woman judge of the Supreme Court of India — M. Fathima Beevi.
First Indian woman lawyer — Cornelia Sorabji.
First Indian woman to fly an aircraft — Sarla Thakral.
First Indian woman commercial pilot — Prem Mathur.
First Indian woman train driver — Surekha Yadav.
First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal — Karnam Malleswari.
First Indian woman to win a WTA singles title — Sania Mirza.
First Indian woman to win the Booker Prize — Arundhati Roy.
First Indian woman to receive the Jnanpith Award — Ashapurna Devi.
First Indian to win an Oscar — Bhanu Athaiya.
First Indian woman to win Miss World — Reita Faria.
First Indian woman to win Miss Universe — Sushmita Sen.
First woman President of the Indian National Congress — Annie Besant.
First Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress — Sarojini Naidu.
First woman President of the UN General Assembly — Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

Important Exam Traps

Annie Besant → First woman President of the Indian National Congress.
Sarojini Naidu → First Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress.
C. Rajagopalachari → First Indian Governor-General of independent India.
Lord Mountbatten → First Governor-General of independent India.
Rakesh Sharma → First Indian in space.
Kalpana Chawla → First woman of Indian origin in space.
K. D. Jadhav → First Indian to win an individual Olympic medal.
Abhinav Bindra → First Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.
Karnam Malleswari → First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.
Bhanu Athaiya → First Indian to win an Oscar.
Mother Teresa → First Indian woman Nobel Peace Prize winner in commonly used Indian GK references.
Pratibha Patil → First woman President of India.
Indira Gandhi → First woman Prime Minister of India.
M. Fathima Beevi → First woman judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Kiran Bedi → First woman IPS officer.
Bachendri Pal → First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest.
Arati Saha → First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel.
Sarla Thakral → First Indian woman to obtain a pilot licence.

First In India, First In India Female, First In India GK, First In India Male, First Indian Female, First Indian Male

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