Diaspora: Leadership and Enterprise - Overseas Indian

60Rashtrapati Bhavan60PATIL INDIA’S FIRST MADAM PRESIDENTPratibha Devisingh Patilmade history as she tookoath as India’s first womanPresident on July 25,committing herself to work for thewell-being of its citizens and settingan agenda for the nation on issuessuch as women’s empowerment,modern education and inclusivegrowth.Chief Justice of India K.G.Balakrishnan administered the oathof office and secrecy to the 72-yearoldPatil, who barely two months agomay not have even dreamt that shewas going to occupy the top post thatwould make her preside over theaffairs of the world’s largest democracy.Patil symbolically exchanged thepresidential seat with outgoing presidentA.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a 21-gunsalute boomed to announce theinstallation of the nation’s 12thPresident.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Lok Sabha Speaker SomnathChatterjee, Leader of Opposition L.K.Advani, United Progressive Alliance(UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi andsenior cabinet ministers, governorsand MPs attended the function.The ceremony, at the majesticCentral Hall of Parliament House,was also attended by two formerprime ministers, Atal Bihari Vajpayeeand I.K. Gujral, and dozens of foreigndiplomats.Also present were Patil’s familymembers, including her husbandDevisingh Ransingh Shekhawat aswell as her daughter and son with theirfamilies.The ceremony began with bothPatil and Kalam, escorted byChatterjee, coming into the chamberin a procession after the outgoing andincoming presidents had come in aceremonial motorcade fromRashtrapati Bhavan, the grand 340-room presidential palace that will bePatil’s home for the next five years.This was followed by HomeSecretary Madhukar Gupta readingout the communication from theElection Commission about the electionof the new president.Patil won the July 19 electionagainst former vice president BhaironSingh Shekhawat, a candidate of theNational Democratic Alliance.In her speech, delivered in aresounding voice both in English andHindi, Patil demanded “socially inclusive”economic growth and hit out at“communalism” as she made hermaiden political statement.She set an agenda of the nation, talkingabout the need to empower women,introduce modern education inareas that don’t have them, inculcatescientific temper and stressed on theneed for greater development of scienceand technology and the necessityof balanced development.“It should be our combined endeavourto sustain (economic) growth andensure that it is socially inclusive. Wemust ensure that every section of oursociety — particularly the weak andthe disadvantaged — are equal partnersin, and beneficiaries of, the developmentprocess.”In a tacit admission that her journeyto Rashtrapati Bhavan has been suddenand unexpected, she said: “I amfully aware of the great responsibilitiesplaced on my humble shoulders.”Calling India “an ancient civilizationbut a young nation”, she said:“We must all stand united in the fightBe guided by aspirations of youth: KalamThe aspirations of the youth tolive in a prosperous and safeIndia should be the guiding factorof every profession, A.P.J. AbdulKalam said in his last address to thenation as President on July 24. Heurged that the country’s rich culture bepreserved for the coming generations.“The aspirations of the young to livein a prosperous, safe and proud Indiashould be the guiding factor in whateverprofession we contribute,” Kalamsaid in his address, delivered a daybefore demitting office.Pointing out that the country wasblessed with hard working people,especially by the power of its 540 millionyouth, Kalam, who has a specialaffection for students and youth, said:“Even while pursuing our economic growth,we need to do a lot to preserve the rich anddiverse treasures of our culture and civilisation.It is our duty for our future generations.This has to be done in a much largerscale through countrywide participationof multiple institutions.”Kalam, 76, left Rashtrapati Bhavan onJuly 25 after President-elect Pratibha Patiltook oath.The technocrat President said the countryshould focus on acceleration of development,empower villages and rural youth,improve agricultural growth by focussingon providing seeds to produce food, “overcomeproblems through partnership”,“combat calamities with courage”, “improveconnectivity for societal transformation”,“defend the country with pride” and fostera youth movement for a developed Indiain 2020.The scientist President stressed on theneed for doubling “agricultural productionwith reduced land, reduced waterresources and reduced manpower” toimprove the economic conditions of thenation.“We should empower the farmers to protectand nurture the fertile land for a secondgreen revolution,” he said in theaddress that was televised throughout thecountry.Kalam, who has made public his visionfor a developed India in 2020, said it couldbe achieved only when the divide betweenrural and urban India becomes a thin line,when quality drinking water is distributedequally, education is available to everyoneovercoming caste barriers, illiteracy is eradicatedand the best health care is availableto everyone.India can achieve developed countrystatus when “the governance isresponsive, transparent and corruptionfree”, when crimes against women andchildren are absent and no societyfeels alienated, he stressed.India should be “a nation that is prosperous,healthy, secure, peaceful andhappy and continues with a sustainablegrowth path”, and “a nation that isone of the best places to live in and isproud of its leadership” by 2020, hesaid.Kalam, who had an eventful fiveyeartenure during which he earned thesobriquet ‘people’s president’, alsoremembered his “beautiful” days in thepalatial Rashtrapati Bhavan.“Today, it is indeed a thanks-givingoccasion. I would like to narrate, how Ienjoyed every minute of my tenureenriched by the wonderful association fromeach one of you, hailing from differentwalks of life, be it politics, science and technology,academics, arts, literature, business,judiciary, administration, local bodies,farming, home makers, special children,media and above all from the youthand student community who are the futurewealth of our country,” he said.He also recalled his visit to Siachenglacier, located at 17,000 feet and held bythe Indian Army, a memorable underwaterjourney aboard INS Sindhurakshak andhis flight in a Sukhoi-30 fighter as thesupreme commander of the armed forcesduring his tenure.6PRAVASI BHARATIYA AUGUST 2007PRAVASI BHARATIYA AUGUST 2007 7