[1] Devi kept a very low profile during this era and did not attend public events with President Rajendra Prasad.

[1][2] The post was vacant during the tenure of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and was followed by Shah Jahan Begum, who was the wife of India's third president, Zakir Husain.

[3] Saraswati Bai, wife of the country's fourth president, V. V. Giri, was the first first lady to take a more public role.

In 2007, the office room meant for the first lady went for some minor changes to accommodate the husband of Pratibha Patil, Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, the country's inaugural "first gentleman".

[5] In case of the absence of a spouse, another relative of the president may take up the role of host or hostess during official functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.