Obit: A 'working' president

New Delhi: Former President K R Narayanan on Wednesday passed away at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi where he was admitted last week with a severe chest infection.

History will probably remember K R Narayanan as the person who gave a new meaning to the post of the president in India.

Till he was elected to the office in July 25, 1997 the President of India?s office was simply a ceremonial office.

A working president that was what Narayanan wanted to be. And that was what he became.

Narayanan broke several traditions during his tenure as President. He was the first president to cast vote in an election.

He rejected the Central government's decision to impose President's Rule more than once.

He also returned the IK Gujral regime's advice for Central rule in Uttar Pradesh.

He was the first President ever to reject a recommendation two times. He rejected the NDA government's recommendation to dissolve the Bihar Assembly twice.

He was extremely critical of the NDA government's handling of the Gujarat violence and after his term ended, he publicly condemned the Vajpayee government for ignoring his advice to deploy army in the state during the riots.

Narayanan would also be remembered for his criticism of casteism.

Career chart

KR Narayanan was India's first ever Dalit president. He was also the first person from Kerala to hold the office.

Born on October 27, 1920 in the village of Uzhavoor in Kottayam district, Kerala, Narayanan was humiliated for being a poor Dalit through his growing years.

He fought them in his own way by turning down a master?s degree from the University of Travancore despite being the topper in protest against the discrimination he faced there for being a Dalit.

Fifty years later, Narayanan accepted the degree at the request of the University.

After completing his studies in Kerala, he went to the London School of Economics with financial help from JRD Tata.

On his return to India, the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, inducted him into the Indian Foreign Services.

He served as the Indian Ambassador to several countries including USA, Canada, England, Japan and also China during the 1962 war.

He was appointed the Vice Chancellor of the Jawahar Lal University after his years in the foreign office.

Narayanan entered active politics in 1974 on Indira Gandhi?s invitation.

He won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Kerala and served as a Cabinet minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government.

In 1992, he became the vice-president and he held the President?s office from July 1997 to July 2002.

Narayanan is survived by his wife Usha, whom he met during his diplomatic stint in Myanmar.