Shri Ramnath Kovind – The second president to have been a Dalit leader

Khevna.P.Shah, INN/Bangalore

@Shahkhevna1, @Infodeaofficial

Shri Ramnath Kovind was born on 1st October 1945 in Paraunkh, Kanpur district of the State of Uttar Pradesh. He comes from a very modest family, resulting him being soo humble. His earlier schooling and college was in Kanpur. He first studied commerce for a bachelor’s and then attained his Law degree from Kanpur University.

Shri Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in as the 14th President of India on 25 July 2017. A lawyer by profession, he was the Governor of the State of Bihar before he took over the highest constitutional office. Shri Kovind offered the office with  a rich experience of working across the spectrum of the republic, from the grassroots to the apex court and parliament. He has been an ardent champion of equality in society and integrity in public life.

Shri Kovind was appointed Governor of the State of Bihar on 8 August 2015. His term as Governor received all-around appreciation for upholding the values of the Indian Constitution. He, in his capacity as Chancellor, introduced several reforms and modern technology in the working of State Universities and brought transparency in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors. He earned immense respect from leaders of all political parties for his statesmanship, sagacity, and adherence to democratic ethos.

Shri Kovind enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1971. He also  served as Counsel of the Union Government in the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979. In the year 1978 he rose to become an Advocate-on-Record with the Supreme Court of India. From 1980 to 1993, he was Standing Counsel for the Union Government in the Supreme Court. Under the Free Legal Aid Society of New Delhi, he also provided pro-bono aid to weaker sections of society, especially women and the poor.

Shri Kovind was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament, from Uttar Pradesh effective from April 1994. He served two consecutive terms of six years each till March 2006. Serving on numerous Parliamentary Committees, he gathered an in-depth experience in governance. He also  addressed the United Nations General Assembly on 22 October 2003 representing India.

Shri Kovind is an ardent advocate of education as a tool for social empowerment. He actively supports the active  participation of women in nation-building and has been consistently calling for society to create more opportunities for the deprived and backward sections, especially the disabled and the orphans. He served as a Member of the Board of Management of the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Lucknow, and also as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

President Ramnath  Kovind’s vision is to contribute towards “creating that optimal partnership between citizens and their representatives in the Government”.

Shri Kovind’s achievements as a Governor burnished his credentials as a candidate for the Presidency in 2017. After his election to the highest constitutional office, he has discharged his duties as the first citizen of India with foresight and humility. He has paid State Visits to 28 countries till December 2019 enhancing India’s global outreach and footprint. On these State Visits, President Kovind conveyed India’s timeless message of peace, progress, and harmony. As the President of India, he has received the highest State honors from six countries, namely Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Croatia, Bolivia, and the Republic of Guinea.

As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of India, in May 2018 President Kovind made a historic visit to the troops deployed at Kumar Post in Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world.

He is a passionate reader and has a keen interest in books on politics,  social change, law, history, and spirituality.