First in India – Top 500 GK Questions & Answers with Explanations Part -1

1. Q: Who was the first President of India?
   A: Dr. Rajendra Prasad — He became President when the Indian Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.

2. Q: Who was the first Prime Minister of India?
   A: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru — He held the office from India’s independence in 1947.

3. Q: Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
   A: Rabindranath Tagore — He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali.

4. Q: Who was the first female Chief Minister in India?
   A: Sucheta Kripalani — She became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1963.

5. Q: Who was the first woman Governor of an Indian state?
   A: Sarojini Naidu — Appointed Governor of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in 1947.

6. Q: Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India?
   A: Sukumar Sen — He took office soon after independence.

7. Q: Who was the first Indian to go into space?
   A: Rakesh Sharma — He flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984.

8. Q: Who was the first woman IPS officer in India?
   A: Kiran Bedi — Joined the Indian Police Service in 1972.

9. Q: Which was India’s first textile mill?
   A: The Bombay Spinning & Weaving Company (established 1854 in Mumbai) — It marked the beginning of India’s textile industry.

10. Q: Who was the first Indian Air Chief Marshal?
    A: Subroto Mukherjee — He became Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force.

11. Q: Who was the first Indian naval Chief?
    A: Vice Admiral R. D. Katari — He became the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff in 1958.

12. Q: Which was the first dam built in independent India?
    A: The Bhakra Dam (on Bhakra–Nangal project) — It is often cited as the first big multipurpose project after independence (though check exact “first” context).

13. Q: Who was the first Finance Minister of independent India?
    A: R. K. Shanmukham Chetty — He presented India’s first budget in 1947-48.

14. Q: Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India?
    A: Indira Gandhi — Became PM in 1966, and the first female in that role in India.

15. Q: Who was the first chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution?
    A: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar — He chaired the drafting committee formed 29 Aug 1947.

16. Q: Who was the first Indian Governor-General of free India?
    A: C. Rajagopalachari — He succeeded Lord Mountbatten and served till India became a republic.

17. Q: Who was the first Field Marshal of India?
    A: Sam Manekshaw — He was honoured with the rank in 1973 after the 1971 war.

18. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games?
    A: Karnam Malleswari — She became the first Indian woman to win Commonwealth Games gold (in weightlifting, 1998).

19. Q: Who was the first Indian to receive the Bharat Ratna?
    A: C. Rajagopalachari — He received India’s highest civilian award in 1954.

20. Q: Who was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel?
    A: Mihir Sen — He swam across the channel in 1958, becoming the first Asian to do so.

Why these questions matter & how to use them

• Competitive exams (SSC, banking, railways) often ask the “first” milestone questions because they’re factual and high-yield.

• Understanding the explanation adds context and helps you remember better (e.g., knowing that Karnam Malleswari was a weightlifter gives a memory anchor).

• You can turn these into flashcards: “First X in India?” on one side, answer + explanation on the back.

• Once you’re comfortable with these, I can send the next set (21-40), and so on up to 500.

If you like, I can prepare a PDF with all 500 questions in one go (divided into parts) and send you the link/reference. Would you like me to continue with Questions 21-40 now?

Perfect 👍
Here’s Part 2: “First in India – Questions 21-40” with short explanations for each.

🏆 Questions 21-40

21. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest?
     A: Bachendri Pal — She achieved this feat on 23 May 1984, becoming a national inspiration.

22. Q: Who was the first Indian to receive the Magsaysay Award?
     A: Acharya Vinoba Bhave — He received it in 1958 for his leadership in the Bhoodan Movement.

23. Q: Who was the first Indian cricketer to score a triple century in Test cricket?
     A: Virender Sehwag — Scored 309 runs against Pakistan in 2004.

24. Q: Who was the first Indian to win an Olympic medal?
     A: Norman Pritchard — Won two silver medals in 1900 Paris Olympics (though he competed for colonial India).

25. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
     A: Karnam Malleswari — Won bronze in weightlifting at Sydney 2000.

26. Q: Who was the first Indian to become a judge at the International Court of Justice?
     A: Dr. Nagendra Singh — Served as ICJ judge and later became its President in 1985.

27. Q: Who was the first Indian to win the Booker Prize?
     A: Arundhati Roy — For The God of Small Things in 1997.

28. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to become the President of India?
     A: Pratibha Devisingh Patil — Served from 2007 to 2012.

29. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title?
     A: Reita Faria — Crowned Miss World 1966.

30. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to become Miss Universe?
     A: Sushmita Sen — Won Miss Universe 1994 in Manila.

31. Q: Who was the first Indian to reach the South Pole?
     A: Col. Jaswant Singh Gill — Part of an Indian expedition to the South Pole in the 1980s.

32. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to receive the Ashoka Chakra?
     A: Neerja Bhanot — Awarded posthumously in 1987 for her bravery during the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73.

33. Q: Who was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff?
     A: General K. M. Cariappa — Took charge on 15 January 1949 (celebrated as Army Day).

34. Q: Who was the first Indian astronaut to travel to space?
     A: Rakesh Sharma — (Repeated for context) Went aboard Soyuz T-11 in 1984.

35. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft?
     A: Sarla Thakral — Earned her pilot’s license in 1936 at age 21.

36. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to win the Bharat Ratna?
     A: Indira Gandhi — Awarded in 1971 for her service to the nation.

37. Q: Who was the first Indian to become President of the UN General Assembly?
     A: Dr. V. K. Krishna Menon — Served as President in 1953 (though some sources list V. K. Krishna Menon for the Security Council presidency; correct answer for UNGA is Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, 1953**).

38. Q: Who was the first Indian woman to preside over the UN General Assembly?
     A: Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit — In 1953, sister of Nehru and a prominent diplomat.

39. Q: Who was the first Indian scientist to win a Nobel Prize?
     A: C. V. Raman — Won Nobel in Physics (1930) for his discovery of the Raman Effect.

40. Q: Who was the first Indian Governor of the Reserve Bank of India?
     A: C. D. Deshmukh — Became RBI Governor in 1943, the first Indian in that post.