Was first to go around India certainly not needing to work (8)
I believe the answer is:
leisured
'not needing to work' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'was first to go around india certainly' is the wordplay.
'was first' becomes 'led' (I've seen this in another clue).
'to go around' is an insertion indicator.
'india' becomes 'i' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'certainly' becomes 'sure' (synonyms).
'i'+'sure'='isure'
'led' going around 'isure' is 'LEISURED'.
(Other definitions for leisured that I've seen before include "Having plenty of free time" , "Not needing to work" , "Having much free time" , "unhurried" .)