A walk down memory lane

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 20

Recalling the days of struggle in Paraukhan village in Kanpur, an emotional President-elect Ram Nath Kovind today talked of the times when he and his brothers and sisters would stand in the corner of their thatched “katcha” house, waiting for the rain to stop.

On the day he was announced the 14th President of the country, it had been raining in Delhi since morning. “There would be many such Ram Nath Kovinds who are getting drenched in the rain. Many would be working hard in farms and elsewhere to earn their livelihood in this rain. They would be shedding sweat to earn the night’s meal.

“Today, I wish to tell them that Ram Nath Kovind of Paraunkh village is going to Rashtrapati Bhavan as their representative,” Kovind said soon after the results were announced while promising to work towards protecting the Constitution. The 71-year-old former Governor of Bihar said: “I neither thought I would be elected to this post, nor was this my aim. But my everlasting spirit to serve society and my country has brought me here.”

Before June 27, when BJP chief Amit Shah announced Kovind as the NDA candidate, his was not a name many were familiar with. Known for his unassuming and affable demeanour, Kovind thanked everyone for the trust reposed in him. He also thanked Opposition candidate Meira Kumar, wishing her well for the future.