Kocheril Raman Narayanan (27 October 1921 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the 9th
Vice President of India
The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...
from 1992 to 1997 and 10th
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...
from 1997 to 2002 .
Born in Perumthanam,
Uzhavoor
Uzhavoor is an expanding town in Kottayam district, Kerala in India. It is just 32 km away from the administrative capital Kottayam District. Most of its residents are either wealthy farmers or businessmen. Many of the houses belong to ...
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
(present day
Kottayam district
Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the A ...
, Kerala), and after a brief stint with journalism and then studying political science at the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
with the assistance of a scholarship, Narayanan began his career in India as a member of the
Indian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is the 34th and the ...
in the
Nehru administration
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
. He served as ambassador to Japan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Turkey, China and the United States and was referred to by Nehru as "the best diplomat of the country". He entered politics at Indira Gandhi's request and won three successive general elections to the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
and served as a
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
in Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet. Elected as vice president in 1992, Narayanan went on to become president in 1997. He was the first person from the
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
community to hold either post.
Narayanan is regarded as an independent and assertive president who set several precedents and enlarged the scope of India's highest constitutional office. He described himself as a "working president" who worked "within the four corners of the Constitution"; something midway between an "executive president" who has direct power and a "rubber-stamp president" who endorses government decisions without question or deliberation. He used his discretionary powers as a president and deviated from convention and precedent in many situations, including – but not limited to – the appointment of the Prime Minister in a
hung Parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisla ...
Kargil conflict
The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referred ...
Uzhavoor
Uzhavoor is an expanding town in Kottayam district, Kerala in India. It is just 32 km away from the administrative capital Kottayam District. Most of its residents are either wealthy farmers or businessmen. Many of the houses belong to ...
, as the fourth of seven children of Kocheril Raman Vaidyar, a practitioner of the traditional Indian medical system of
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
, and Punnaththuraveettil Paappiyamma. His siblings were Vasudevan, Neelakandan, Gowri, Bhaskaran, Bhargavi and Bharathi. His family belonging to the Paravan caste (whose members are involved in fishery, boat-building, sea trade), was poor, but his father was respected for his medical acumen.
Narayanan had his early schooling in Uzhavoor at the Government Lower Primary School, Kurichithanam (where he enrolled on 5 May 1927) and Our Lady of Lourdes Upper Primary School, Uzhavoor (1931–35). He walked to school for about 15 kilometres daily through paddy fields, and was often unable to pay the modest fees. He often listened to school lessons while standing outside the classroom, having been barred from attending because tuition fees were outstanding. The family lacked money to buy books and his elder brother K. R. Neelakantan, who was confined to home as he was suffering from
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
, used to borrow books from other students, copy them down, and give them to Narayanan. He matriculated from St. Mary's High School, Kuravilangad (1936–37) (he had studied at St. John's High School,
Koothattukulam
Koothattukulam is a town and municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinat ...
(1935–36) previously). He completed his intermediate at C. M. S. College, Kottayam (1938–40), aided by a scholarship from the Travancore Royal family.
Narayanan obtained his B. A. (Honors) and
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
(1940–43) (present day
University of Kerala
University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...
), standing first in the university (thus becoming the first Dalit to obtain this degree with first class in Travancore). With his family facing grave difficulties, he left for
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
and worked for some time as a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
with ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' and ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' (1944–45). During this time, he once interviewed
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
on his own volition (10 April 1945).
In 1944, Narayanan was awarded a Tata Scholarship of Rs. 16,000 by J. R. D. Tata to read politics, economics and journalism at the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
and was awarded
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
honors
Honour (or honor in American English) is the quality of being honorable.
Honor or Honour may also refer to:
People
* Honor (given name), a unisex given name
* Brian Honour (born 1964), English footballer and manager
* Gareth Honor (born 1979 ...
in
Economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
with specialisation in political science from the University of London. At the LSE (1945), he studied
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
under
Harold Laski
Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...
Lionel Robbins
Lionel Charles Robbins, Baron Robbins, (22 November 1898 – 15 May 1984) was a British economist, and prominent member of the economics department at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is known for his leadership at LSE, his proposed def ...
, and
Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich August von Hayek ( , ; 8 May 189923 March 1992), often referred to by his initials F. A. Hayek, was an Austrian–British economist, legal theorist and philosopher who is best known for his defense of classical liberalism. Haye ...
. During his years in London, he (along with fellow student
K. N. Raj
Kakkadan Nandanath Rajan (13 May 1924 – 10 February 2010) was an Indian economist. He is popularly known as K. N. Raj. He played an important role in India's planned development, drafting sections of India's first Five Year Plan, specifically ...
) was active in the India League under V. K. Krishna Menon. He was also the London correspondent of the ''Social Welfare Weekly'' published by
K. M. Munshi
Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi (; 30 December 1887 – 8 February 1971), popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, ...
. At the LSE he shared lodgings with K. N. Raj and Veerasamy Ringadoo (who later became the first president of Mauritius); another close friend was Pierre Trudeau (who later became
Prime minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
).
Diplomat and academician
When Narayanan returned to India in 1948, Laski gave him a letter of introduction to Prime minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
. Years later, he narrated how he began his career in the public service:
When I finished with LSE, Laski, of his own, gave me a letter of introduction for Panditji. On reaching Delhi I sought an appointment with the PM. I suppose, because I was an Indian student returning home from London, I was given a time-slot. It was here in Parliament House that he met me. We talked for a few minutes about London and things like that and I could soon see that it was time for me to leave. So I said goodbye and as I left the room I handed over the letter from Laski, and stepped out into the great circular corridor outside. When I was half way round, I heard the sound of someone clapping from the direction I had just come. I turned to see Panditji ehrubeckoning me to come back. He had opened the letter as I left his room and read it. ehru asked:"Why didn't you give this to me earlier?" nd KRN replied:"Well, sir, I am sorry. I thought it would be enough if I just handed it over while leaving." After a few more questions, he asked me to see him again and very soon I found myself entering the Indian Foreign Service.
In 1949, he joined the
Indian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is the 34th and the ...
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 29 November 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2006. and was appointed an attache' in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 18 April of that year. He worked as a diplomat in the embassies at Rangoon,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
. Narayanan's diplomatic career proceeded as follows:
*Second Secretary, Indian Liaison Mission in Tokyo (appointed 19 August 1951)
*Appointment in the IFS confirmed (29 July 1953)
*First Secretary, High Commission of India to the United Kingdom (relinquished 17 December 1957)
*Deputy Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (relinquished 11 July 1960)
*First Secretary, High Commission of India to Australia, including period as Acting High Commissioner of India, Canberra (relinquished 27 September 1961)
*Consul-General of India (Hanoi),
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
*Ambassador to
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
(1967–69)
*Ambassador to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
(1973–75)
*Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs (relinquished 1 May 1976)
*Ambassador to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(appointed 1 May 1976)
During his diplomatic career, Narayanan also taught at the
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as "D School", is a Higher Educational Institution within the University of Delhi. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establ ...
(DSE) (1954), and was Jawaharlal Nehru fellow (1970–72). He retired from the IFS in 1978.
After his retirement, Narayanan served as the
Vice-Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
of
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
(JNU) in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
from 3 January 1979 – 14 October 1980; he would later describe this experience as the foundation for his public life.P. T. Thomas: "Interview with K. R. Narayanan", ''Maanavasamskruthi'' 1 (8), February 2005, in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
. English translation of part of the interview, at CHRO web page Part I
Part II . Additional translation
of question on his relationship with the Left front in , ''The Hindu'', 10 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Subsequently, he was recalled from retirement to serve as
Indian Ambassador to the United States
The Indian Ambassador to the United States of America is the chief diplomatic representative of India to the United States, housed in the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. The current ambassador is Taranjit Singh Sandhu who succeeded Harsh Va ...
from 1980–84, under the Indira Gandhi administration. Narayanan's tenures as Indian ambassador to China, the first such high level Indian diplomatic posting in that country after the 1962
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...
, and to the USA where he helped arrange Ms. Gandhi's landmark 1982 visit to
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
during the Reagan presidency helped mend India's strained relations with both these countries. Nehru, who had also been the Minister for External Affairs during his 16 years as PM, held that K. R. Narayanan was "the best diplomat of the country."(1955)
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(Myanmar), K. R. Narayanan met Ma Tint Tint, whom he later married in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
on 8 June 1951. Ma Tint Tint was active in the
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
and on hearing that Narayanan was a student of Laski, approached him to speak on political freedom before her circle of acquaintances. Their marriage needed a special dispensation from Nehru as per Indian law, because Narayanan was in the IFS and she was a foreigner. Ma Tint Tint adopted the Indian name ''Usha'' and became an Indian citizen.
Usha Narayanan
Usha Narayanan, born Tint Tint ( my, တင့်တင့်; 1922 — 24 January 2008), was the First Lady of India from 1997 to 2002. She was married to K. R. Narayanan, the tenth President of India. Upon her husband's assumption of the pr ...
(1923–2008) worked on several social welfare programs for women and children in India and completed her Masters in Social Work from
Delhi School of Social Work
Delhi School of Social Work is a school of social work in India and the first graduate school of social work in Asia to be recognized by a university. It is currently known as the Department of Social Work (DSW) of University of Delhi.
Histo ...
. She also translated and published several Burmese short stories; a collection of translated stories by Thein Pe Myint, titled ''Sweet and Sour'', appeared in 1998. She is the second woman of foreign origin to have become the First Lady. They have two daughters,
Chitra Narayanan
Chitra Narayanan is a diplomat from India. She served as an Indian Foreign Service officer and as an ambassador of India to six countries.
Career
Chitra started her career as a journalist at the Press Institute of India. She was the founder-edi ...
Narayanan entered politics at the request of Indira Gandhi and won three successive general elections to the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
,
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
and
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, as a representative of the
Ottapalam
Ottapalam, (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district headquarters Palakkad. ...
constituency in
Palakkad
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
, Kerala, on a
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
ticket. He was a
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
in the Union cabinet under Rajiv Gandhi, holding the portfolios of Planning (1985), External Affairs (1985–86), and Science and Technology (1986–89). As a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
, he resisted international pressure to tighten patent controls in India. He sat in the opposition benches when the Congress was voted out of power during 1989–91. Narayanan was not included in the cabinet when the Congress returned to power in 1991. K. Karunakaran, Congress
Chief Minister of Kerala
The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Fol ...
, a political adversary of his, informed him that he was not made a minister because of him being a "Communist fellow-traveller". He did not, however, respond when Narayanan pointed out that he had defeated Communist candidates ( A. K. Balan and
Lenin Rajendran
Lenin Rajendran ( ml, ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Malayalam cinema. He served as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation from 2016 to January 2019 ...
, the latter twice) in all three elections.
Vice Presidency (1992 - 1997)
K. R. Narayanan was elected as the
vice-president of India
The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...
on 21 August 1992, under the presidency of
Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
. His name had been proposed initially by V. P. Singh, former Prime Minister and the then leader of the
Janata Dal
Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 October 1988 on the birth annive ...
parliamentary party. The
Janata Dal
Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 October 1988 on the birth annive ...
and the parliamentary left parties had jointly declared him as their candidate, and this had later garnered support from the Congress under P. V. Narasimha Rao, leading to a unanimous decision on his election. On his relationship with the Left front, Narayanan later clarified that he was neither a devotee nor a blind opponent of Communism; they had known of his ideological differences, but had supported him as vice-president (and later as president) because of special political circumstances that prevailed in the country. He had benefited from their support, and in turn, their political positions had gained acceptability. When the Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December 1992, he described the event as the "greatest tragedy India has faced since the assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
".
He was the first president to vote in the Lok sabha elections and addressed the state assembly.
Presidency (1997 - 2002)
K. R. Narayanan was elected to the presidency of India (17 July 1997) with 95% of the votes in the electoral college, as a result of the presidential poll on 14 July. This is the only presidential election to have been held with a minority government holding power at the centre. T. N. Seshan was the sole opposing candidate, and all major parties save the Shiv Sena supported his candidature., while Seshan alleged that Narayanan had been elected solely for being a Dalit.
He was sworn in as the president of India (25 July 1997) by Chief Justice J. S. Verma in the
Central Hall of Parliament
The Parliament of India (IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the Peo ...
. In his inaugural address, he said:
That the nation has found a consensus for its highest office in some one who has sprung from the grass-roots of our society and grown up in the dust and heat of this sacred land is symbolic of the fact that the concerns of the common man have now moved to the centre stage of our social and political life. It is this larger significance of my election rather than any personal sense of honour that makes me rejoice on this occasion.
;Golden Jubilee of independence
The principal event of the Golden Jubilee of Indian independence was President K. R. Narayanan's midnight address to the nation during the special session of Parliament convened on the night of 14 August; in this address, he identified the establishment of a democratic system of government and politics to be the greatest achievement of India since independence. The following morning, Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the
Red Fort
The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...
, said:
When Gandhiji dreamt of India's future, he had said that the country will attain the real freedom only on the day when a Dalit would become the President of this country. This is our great fortune that today on the eve of golden jubilee of independence, we have been able to fulfil this dream of Gandhiji. In the person of Shri K. R. Narayanan we have been able to fulfil the dream of Gandhiji. Our President of whom the whole country is proud of, is from a very poor and downtrodden family and today he has endowed the Rashtrapati Bhavan with a new pride and respect. It is a matter of further happiness that the President has a very high place among the intellectuals of this country. This is a feather in the cap of our democracy that the backward sections of the society today are attaining their rightful place in society. All the countrymen today whether they are from minorities, scheduled castes alits or scheduled tribes divasis– are working unitedly for the development of the country.
;Participation in the elections
In the general elections of 1998, K. R. Narayanan became the first sitting president to vote (16 February 1998), casting his vote at a polling booth in a school within the
Rashtrapati Bhavan
The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...
complex after standing in a queue like an ordinary citizen. He insisted on casting his vote, despite the departure from precedent being pointed out to him. Narayanan sought to change what was a long-standing practice of Indian presidents not voting during general elections.Sukumar Muralidharan "A role for the President" , ''Frontline'' 15 (5), 7–20 March 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.Sukumar Muralidharan , ''Frontline'' 18 (3), 3–16 February 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. He also exercised his franchise as president in the 1999 general elections.
;Golden jubilee of the Republic
President K. R. Narayanan's address to the nationK. R. Narayanan Address to the nation on the golden jubilee of the Republic 26 January 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006. on the golden jubilee of the Indian Republic (26 January 2000) is considered a landmark:V. Venkatesan , ''Frontline'' 17 (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 17 March 2006. it was the first timeAmmu Joseph ''Humanscape'', April 2000 a president attempted to analyse, with due concern for growing disparities, the several ways in which the country had failedP. Sainat , ''Frontline'' 17 (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 17 March 2006. to provide economic justice to the Indian people, particularly the rural and agrarian population; he also stated that discontent was breeding and frustrations erupting in violence among the deprived sections of society. In his address to Parliament later that day, he praised the work of
B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...
on the
Indian constitution
The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...
and cautioned against attempts to change its basic structure, concurring with Ambedkar's preference for accountability and responsibility over the stability of the government. He reiterated this in stronger terms in his next Republic day address (2001);K. R. Narayanan Address on Republic day 26 January 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. on this occasion, he took exception to certain proposals seeking to abridge the franchise, and pointed out the wisdom of reposing faith in the common men and women of India as a whole, rather than in some elite section of society.
In these addresses, he articulated opinions which departed in many ways from certain views of the A. B. Vajpayee government.
Exercise of presidential discretion
President Narayanan introduced the important practice of explaining to the nation (by means of Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqués) the thinking that led to the various decisions he took while exercising his discretionary powers; this has led to openness and transparency in the functioning of the president.
;Appointment of the Prime minister and dissolution of Parliament
During his presidency, Narayanan dissolved the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
twice after determining through consultations across the political spectrum, that no one was in a position to secure the confidence of the house. Congress president
Sitaram Kesri
Sitaram Kesri (15 November 1919 – 24 October 2000) was an Indian politician and parliamentarian. He became a union minister and served as President of the Indian National Congress from 1996 to 1998.
__TOC__
Political career
Pre-Independen ...
withdrew his party's support of the I. K. Gujral government and staked his claim to form the government on 28 November 1997. Gujral advised Narayanan of the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. President Narayanan determined that no one would be able to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha and accepted Gujral's advice (4 December). In the ensuing general elections, the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
(BJP) emerged as the single largest party, leading the largest pre-election coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and the coalition leader Vajpayee staked his claim to form the government, though at that point he did not have a majority. Narayanan asked Vajpayee to furnish letters of support to demonstrate the NDA's ability to secure a majority. Vajpayee was able to meet this demand after support for the NDA grew, and subsequently he was appointed Prime Minister (15 March 1998) on the condition (which was met) that a vote of confidence be secured within 10 days.
One of the coalition partners supporting the minority government (the
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mi ...
under J. Jayalalithaa) wrote a letter to the President withdrawing support on 14 April 1999, and Narayanan advised Vajpayee to seek a
vote of confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in the Lok Sabha. This motion was defeated (17 April). Both Vajpayee and the Leader of the Opposition, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, then staked claims to form the government. Narayanan asked the NDA and the Congress party to show proof of support since the loss of the confidence vote. When evidence from neither party was forthcoming, Narayanan informed the Prime minister that fresh elections seemed to be the only way to resolve the crisis in governance. The Lok Sabha was then dissolved at Vajpayee's advice (26 April). (In the ensuing general elections, the NDA secured a majority and Vajpayee was reappointed Prime minister (11 October 1999) in a straightforward manner.)
In these decisions, President Narayanan set a new precedent concerning the appointment of a prime minister – if no party or pre-election coalition had a majority, then a person would be appointed prime minister only if he was able to convince the president (through letters of support from allied parties) of his ability to secure the confidence of the house. In doing so, he diverged from the actions of his predecessors who had been faced with the task of appointing a prime minister from a
hung parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisla ...
Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
: the latter two had followed the practice of inviting the leader of the single largest party or pre-election coalition to form the government without investigating their ability to secure the confidence of the house.
;Imposition of President's rule
President Narayanan returned for reconsideration the advices from the Union cabinet to impose President's rule in a state, in accordance with Article 356, in two instances: one from the Gujral government (22 October 1997) seeking to dismiss the
Kalyan Singh
Kalyan Singh (5 January 1932 – 21 August 2021) was an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served twice as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and as a Member of Parliament. He was the Chief minister of Utt ...
government in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, and the other from the Vajpayee government (25 September 1998) seeking to dismiss the
Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi Yadav (born 1 January 1955) is an Indian politician who formerly served three terms as the Chief Minister of Bihar, the first and only woman till date to have held the office. She is a Member of Bihar Legislative Council (MLC), and ...
government in
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. In both instances, he cited the Supreme court judgement of 1994 on '' S. R. Bommai vs. Union of India'' and exercised his discretion by, in the former case, returning the matter for reconsideration of the cabinet, which then decided not to move ahead in the matter. However, in the latter case, the cabinet re-advised the same to the president after couple of months, It was then the President's rule was imposed in Bihar in February, 1999.
;Kargil conflict
A
military conflict
War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or paramilitary groups such as Mercenary, mercenaries, Insurgency, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violenc ...
was developed in
Kargil
Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in May 1999. The
Vajpayee government
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of India, first from 16 May to 1 June 1996, and then from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vajpayee was the tenth Pri ...
had lost a no-confidence vote in Lok Sabha earlier that year and the opposition failed to form the next government. The Lok Sabha had been dissolved and a caretaker government was in office. This caused a problem with democratic accountability, as every major government decision is expected to be discussed, deliberated and consented by the parliament. Narayanan suggested to Vajpayee that the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
be convened to discuss the conflict, as demanded by several opposition parties (citing the precedent of Nehru convening a parliamentary session on Vajpayee's demand during the Sino-Indian war in 1962 ) though there was no precedent of convening the Rajya Sabha in isolation during an interregnum. Further, Narayanan was briefed by the chiefs of the three arms of the
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...
on the conduct of the conflict. His Republic day address next year began by paying homage to the soldiers who had died defending the nation.
Concern for social and economic justice
President Narayanan in his speeches consistently sought to remind the nation of its duties and obligations towards the Dalits and
Adivasi
The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...
s, the minorities, and the poor and downtrodden. He called the nation's attention to various recalcitrant social ills and evils, such as atrocities against women and children, caste discrimination and the ingrained attitudes it nurtured, abuse of the environment and public utilities, corruption and lack of accountability in the delivery of public services,
religious fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...
, advertisement-driven consumerism, and flouting of human rights, and lamented the absence of public concern, political debate, and civic action to address them. Drawing from the experiences of his own home state
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, he pointed out that education was at the root of human and economic development. He hoped that the establishment would not fear the awakening of the masses through education, and spoke of the need to have faith in the people.
President Narayanan spoke on various occasions on the condition of the Dalits, Adivasis, and other oppressed sections of society, and the various iniquities they faced (often in defiance of law), such as denial of civic amenities,
ostracism
Ostracism ( el, ὀστρακισμός, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the ci ...
, harassment and violence (particularly against women), and displacement by ill-conceived development projects.K. R. Narayanan: on the first World convention of the Dalit international organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11 October 1998. Archived Jun. 2006.
He felt that the policy of reservations for the backward sections in education and the public sector had remained unfulfilled due to administrative distortions and narrow interpretations, and needed to be implemented with renewed vigour and sincerity; apprehensive of what he described as a counter-revolution among some privileged sections seeking to reverse progressive policies, he reminded the nation that these benefits were not charity, but had been provided by way of human rights and social justice to sections constituting a large portion of the population and contributing to the economy as landless agricultural labourers and industrial workers. In his 2002 Republic day address, he drew attention to the
Bhopal Declaration
The Bhopal Conference was held at Bhopal in the Hindi Belt state of Madhya Pradesh, India, on 12-13 January 2002. Its purpose was to address issues relating to improvement in the circumstances of the economically- and socially-deprived Dalit and T ...
. on the Dalit and Adivasi agenda for the 21st century and spoke of the necessity of the private sector adopting policies to promote equitable representation of the backward sections in their enterprises. In a governmental note on higher judicial appointments (which leaked to the press; January 1999), he observed that eligible persons from the backward sections were available and that their under-representation or non-representation was not justifiable;
K. G. Balakrishnan
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 12 May 1945) is an Indian judge who has been the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India. He is a former Chief Justice of India.
He was the first judge from Kerala to become the C ...
, a Dalit, was elevated to the Supreme court (8 June 2000), the fourth such instance, and the only one since 1989.
He felt that Ambedkar's exhortation to "educate, organise, agitate" continued to be relevant; with the Dalits forming a quarter of the population in a democracy with
universal adult franchise
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
, he felt that the ultimate destiny of the backward sections lay in the hands of the backward sections themselves, organised socially and politically.
When the Australian missionary and social worker
Graham Staines
Graham Stuart Staines (18 January 1941 – 23 January 1999) was an Australian Christian missionary, who along with his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6), was burnt to death in India by members of a Hindu fundamentalist group named ...
and his two minor sons were burned alive (22 January 1999), President Narayanan condemned it as a barbarous crime belonging to the world's inventory of black deeds.
Towards the end of his presidency, communal riots broke out in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
(February 2002). President Narayanan was deeply pained and anguished, and described it as a grave crisis of the society and the nation; he called it the duty of every Indian to strive to restore peace and thus preserve and strengthen the foundations of the state and the tradition of tolerance. He did not stand the election for a second presidential term due to the lack of support from the ruling government. After the demission of presidential office, he lent his support to alternative globalisation movements like the
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum (WSF, pt, Fórum Social Mundial ) is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemoni ...
. After he had left the presidency, and after the Vajpayee government had been voted out of power in the general elections of May 2004, in an interview on the third anniversary of the riots (in February 2005), he said;
There was governmental and administrative support for the communal riots in Gujarat. I gave several letters to Prime Minister Vajpayee in this regard on this issue. I met him personally and talked to him directly. But Vajpayee did not do anything effective.
I requested him to send the army to Gujarat and suppress the riots. The military was sent, but they were not given powers to shoot. If the military was given powers to shoot at the perpetrators of violence, recurrence of tragedies in Gujarat could have been avoided.
However, both the state(the
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
government) and central government did not do so. I feel there was a conspiracy involving the state and central governments behind the Gujarat riots.
He also stated that constitutional limits on his powers had prevented him from doing anything further.
Throughout his presidency, Narayanan adopted the policy of not visiting places of worship or godmen/godwomen; he is the only president to have followed this practice.
Demission of office
As Narayanan's tenure neared its end, various sections of public opinion looked forward to a second term of his presidency. The NDA had a slender majority in the electoral college. Narayanan offered to be a consensus candidate. Opposition parties (including the Congress, the Left Front, Janata Dal (Secular), and various regional parties) supported a second term for him, and Sonia Gandhi met him to request his candidature; Vajpayee then met Narayanan, informed him that there was no consensus within the NDA on the question, and advised against his candidature. The NDA then proposed to elevate the vice-president,
Krishan Kant
Krishan Kant (28 February 1927 – 27 July 2002) was an Indian politician who served as the tenth vice president of India from 1997 until his death 2002. Formerly, he was the governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1990 to 1997. He was a member of Lok ...
, as a consensus; this drew support from the opposition and an agreement to this effect was conveyed by Vajpayee's representative to the Congress. However, within a day, the NDA unable to reach an internal consensus, decided to propose another candidate Dr. P. C. Alexander. Alexander's candidature drew disapproval of the opposition. The opposition parties approached Narayanan and renewed their request to seek a second term. The NDA then put forth a third candidate
A P J Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied ...
as their official choice, without seeking consensus; one opposition party (the Samajwadi Party under
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialist figure and the founder of the Samajwadi Party. In the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three terms as ...
) dissipated the unity of the Opposition by supporting this proposal. Narayanan opted himself out from a contest at this point.
When asked about these events later, Narayanan accused the BJP of scuttling a second term of his presidency.
In his farewell address to the nation (24 July 2002), K. R. Narayanan set his hopes for social action and progress on the service of the nation by its youth. He reflected on his varied experiences of the essential goodness and wisdom of the Indian people, recalling how he had grown up in Uzhavoor among adherents of several religions, how religious tolerance and harmony had prevailed, how upper-caste
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and well-off Christians had helped him in his early studies, and how upper-caste Hindus as well as Christians and Muslims had worked together enthusiastically for his election campaigns in Ottapalam. He said that the credibility and endurance of India's unity and democracy are founded on its tradition of tolerance, and spoke of the need for Hindus, who form the majority, to express the traditional spirit of their religion.
Reflecting on his presidency, K. R. Narayanan said:
As the President of India, I had lots of experiences that were full of pain and helplessness. There were occasions when I could do nothing for people and for the nation. These experiences have pained me a lot. They have depressed me a lot. I have agonised because of the limitations of power. Power and the helplessness surrounding it are a peculiar tragedy, in fact.
Subsequent life
After his retirement as president, K. R. Narayanan, along with his wife Usha, lived his remaining years in a central Delhi bungalow (on 34
Prithviraj Road
Prithviraj Road (Hindi: पृथ्वीराज मार्ग, Urdu: پرتھوی راج مارگ ''Pṛthvīrāj Mārg'') is one of the historic & influential roads of New Delhi. It houses the most elite residences of major people of India. ...
).
At the
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum (WSF, pt, Fórum Social Mundial ) is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemoni ...
(WSF) in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
(21 January 2004), he lent his support to the alternative globalisation movement. Addressing the forum at its concluding session, he praised the WSF for demanding freedom in its most comprehensive form, and was happy that people had assembled under an important idea, rather than for narrow political ends; after reflecting on corporations displacing governments in various countries, and on how
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
had fought British colonisers non-violently with the strength of the masses, he predicted that vocal masses the world over would successfully fight by non-violent means the capturing of the world's resources by a few corporations in the name of globalisation. He urged the people to struggle against power corporates and militarism and fight those aspects of globalisation which were against the interests of the people; he hailed people's power as a renascent factor of international politics.
K. R. Narayanan dedicated (15 February 2005) his ''tharavaadu'' at Uzhavoor to the
Santhigiri Ashram
Santhigiri Ashram is located in Pothencode, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. The ashram was founded by Navajyothi sri Karunakara Guru and is recognized and developed as a ''Social and Scientific Research Organization'' by the Government of ...
in
Pothencode
Pothencode, is a rapidly developing town and a developing area of Thiruvananthapuram District in the Indian state of Kerala. Spiritual leaders Brahmasree Jagadguru Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi, Sree Rama Dasa Mission, Karunakara Guru and founde ...
Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
and
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
. This turned out to be his last return to Uzhavoor.
K. R. Narayanan died on 9 November 2005 aged 85 at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi, after being briefly ill with
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
and consequent
renal failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
. He was cremated with full state honors at sunset the following day, according to Hindu rites, which took place in Karma Bhumi near Rajghat, New Delhi. Every year on his death anniversary respects are paid at this Samadhi. The last rites were performed by his nephew Dr. P. V. Ramachandran, at '' Ekta sthal'' on the banks of the River
Yamuna
The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...
(adjacent to ''Shanti van'', the memorial of his mentor Jawaharlal Nehru). Part of the urns containing the ashes were by taken by train to Haridwar where they were immersed in the Ganga by the eldest daughter in the presence of the Hindu pandit who performed the ceremony according to Hindu rites. The second part of the urns were accompanied by the younger daughter and taken to Kerala where the State Government arranged the procession to the Bharthapuzha river, a sacred river of Kerala.
Four siblings, K. R. Gowri, K. R. Bhargavi, K. R. Bharathi, and K. R. Bhaskaran, survived him; two elder brothers had died when Narayanan was in his twenties. His elder sister Gowri (a homoeopath, who remained unmarried) and his younger brother Bhaskaran (a teacher, also unmarried) had been living in Uzhavoor. Villagers of Uzhavoor marched silently to the ''tharavaadu'' of K. R. Narayanan and paid him reverent homage.
;From the sidelines of society
About his life and its message, K. R. Narayanan said:
I see and understand both the symbolic as well as the substantive elements of my life. Sometimes I visualise it as a journey of an individual from a remote village on the sidelines of society to the hub of social standing. But at the same time I also realise that my life encapsulates the ability of the democratic system to accommodate and empower marginalised sections of society.
The K. R. Narayanan Foundation
The K. R. Narayanan Foundation (K.R.N.F) founded in December 2005, aims at propagating the ideals and perpetuating the memory of K. R. Narayanan. K.R.N.F is a mission of collective action to provide better future to the most vulnerable sections of Kerala Society – women, children, disabled persons, the aged and other disadvantaged groups – by providing educational training, protecting their health and environment, improving their living conditions and strengthening their family and community. The paradigms of K.R.N.F revolves around five crucial elements:
* research and development on science and technology for the dissemination of eco-friendly rural technology to the poor
* human resource development
* attitudinal change and self-management
* economic empowerment to the poor.
The Foundation is to identify and honour the best in areas of national importance like Integrity in Public Life, Journalism, Civil Service, Medical Science, Social Service, Literature, Sports, Entertainment, Politics etc.
K.R.N.F is also producing a documentary (both in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
) on the life of K. R. Narayanan, entitled ''The Footprints Of Survival'', aimed at propagating the ideals and perpetuating the memory of K.R.Narayanan. This documentary will be directed by Mr. Sunny Joseph, a senior journalist. The script will be based on a biography of the late president written by Eby J. Jose, who is also the General Secretary of the K.R.N.F. The Foundation has planned to distribute DVD copies of the creative work to all schools, colleges and public libraries.
The Foundation General Secretary Eby J. Jose has written a biography of the late president titled ''K. R. Narayanan Bharathathinte Suryathejassu''. It is written in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
, the mother tongue of Dr. K. R. Narayanan. This book traces the not-so-rosy life of the first Dalit president of India.
In popular culture
The
Films Division of India
The Films Division of India (FDI), commonly referred as Films Division, was established in 1948 following the independence of India. It was the first state film production and distribution unit, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcastin ...
produced a
feature length
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
, titled K. R. Narayanan, directed by
Suresh Menon
Suresh Menon (born 10 January 1967) is an Indian actor, comedian and television personality.
Career
Menon has appeared in movies including Grand Masti, ''Phir Hera Pheri'', '' Partner'', ''Fool N Final'', '' Krazzy 4'', '' Deewane Huye Pagal' ...
it narrates the life of India's first Dalit president.
References
Further reading
;Books by K. R. Narayanan
*''Nehru and his vision'', D. C. Books, Kottayam, 1999.
*''India and America: essays in understanding'', Second edition, Asia book corporation of America, 1998.
*''Images and insights'', D. C. Books, Kottayam.
*''Non-alignment in contemporary international relations'' (Joint authorship)
;Speeches and writings by K. R. Narayanan
*Nehru Memorial Lecture "Nehru's vision of India and the world-- then and now" 13 November 1997. Archived Jun. 2000. on the death of E. M. S. Namboodiripad; 19 March 1998. Archived May 1999. Message to Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday; 17 July 1998. Archived Sep. 2000. Message on his political retirement. Archived Jan. 2001.) Speech while dedicating the J. R. D. Tata ecotechnology centre; 29 July 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech while unveiling the statue of
Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...
; 14 August 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Letter to
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since 1972 has taught and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States. Sen has made contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, econom ...
on his being awarded the Nobel prize for Economics; 14 October 1998. Archived Oct. 1999. Message on the birth centenary of K. P. S. Menon; 18 October 1998. Archived Oct. 1999. Speech on the occasion of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
Mahotsav at
Sarnath
Sarnath (Hindustani pronunciation: aːɾnaːtʰ also referred to as Sarangnath, Isipatana, Rishipattana, Migadaya, or Mrigadava) is a place located northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pr ...
; 5 November 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech while inaugurating the first International congress on agronomy, environment, and food security for the 21st century; 23 November 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Message on the death of P. N. Haksar; 28 November 1998. Archived Oct. 1999. Commemorative speech Retrieved 24 February 2006.) Speech on Judicial reforms; 5 December 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech on the birth centenary of Field MarshalK. M. Cariappa; 5 June 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech at the All India
editors conference; 29 July 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech while accepting credentials from the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
Nuncio to India; 30 August 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech on the golden jubilee of
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
as the official language of India; 14 September 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Message to
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pr ...
on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the People's Republic of China; 30 September 1999. Archived Aug. 2000. Speech while unveiling the bust of
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...
; 3 December 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Message on the death of
Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
; 26 December 1999. Archived Apr. 2001. Banquet speech on the visit of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
; 3 October 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
;Commentary by journalists
*Praveen Swami: , ''Frontline'' 14 (22), 1–14 November 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*A. G. Noorani: , ''Frontline'' 14 (24), 29 November-12 Dec 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Siriyavan Anand "Untouchability is no 'internal matter' " Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*V. Venkatesan: , ''Frontline'' 17 (21), 14–27 October 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
External links
:Presidential addresses and other documents
25 July 1997. Archived Aug. 1997. Address on the golden jubilee of Indian independence 15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 4 December 1997. Archived Jan. 1998. Address on Republic day 26 January 1998. Archived June 2000. 15 March 1998. Archived Feb. 1999.
**Related communiques Archived Feb. 1999. Interview on Independence day; 15 August 1998; by N. Ram, Editor,
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
Praveen Swami
Praveen Swami (born 1969) is an Indian journalist and author specialising on international strategic and security issues. He is currently the Group Consulting Editor at Network18 Group. He was the Diplomatic Editor of ''The Daily Telegraph'' new ...
"A citizen and a President" ''Frontline'' 15 (18), 29 August – 11 September 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 26 January 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 26 April 1999. Archived February 2001.
**Related communiques Archived February 2001. 26 January 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: P. Sainath "Iron in the soul, decay in the brain" ''Frontline'' 17 (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: V. Venkatesan ''Frontline'' 17 (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 26 January 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: Sukumar Muralidharan, V. Venkatesan ''Frontline'' 17 (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 26 January 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: Sukumar Muralidharan ''Frontline'' 18 (3), 3–16 February 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 26 January 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: V. Venkatesan ''Frontline'' 19 (3), 2–15 February 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 22 July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Farewell address to the nation 24 July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Interview of February 2005 in which K. R. Narayanan accused the A. B. Vajpayee Government of complicity in the
2002 Gujarat riots
The 2002 Gujarat riots, also known as the 2002 Gujarat violence, was a three-day period of inter-communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The burning of a train in Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hin ...
Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha (തൊടുപുഴ) is a municipal town located in Idukki district, Kerala, India, that covers an area of . It lies on the banks of Thodupuzha river, which merges with the Kaliyar and Kothamangalam rivers at Muvattupuzha to f ...
in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, and Editor, ''Maanavasamskruthi''. ["Interview with K. R. Narayanan", ''Maanavasamskruthi'' 1 (8), February 2005, in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
. English translation of part of the interview, at CHRO web page Part I Part II Additional translation of question on his relationship with the Left front in , ''The Hindu'', 10 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.]
;Miscellaneous speeches and writings
*K. R. Narayanan's interview with M. K. Gandhi, 10 April 1945; given in full in H. Y. Sharada Prasad "How an interview with Gandhi was spiked" ''The Asian Age'', n.d. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Speech while inaugurating the new complex of the Kerala Legislature; 22 May 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006. on the first World convention of the Dalit international organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 11 October 1998. Archived June 2006. on the murder of Graham Staines and his two minor sons; 24 January 1999. Archived Oct. 1999. on Human rights day; 10 December 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. 28 March 2002. Archived Aug. 2002. on the President meeting with victims of Gujarat violence; 27 April 2002. Archived Aug. 2002. to the nation on Gujarat violence; 29 April 2002. Archived Aug. 2002. "India empowered" ''Indian Express'', 26 October 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
;Other links concerning his life
Retrieved 24 February 2006. C. M. S. College, Kottayam Retrieved 24 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2006. ''Rediff'', 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/19970801044230/http://alfa.nic.in/hm/p1.html Results of Presidential poll 17 July 1997. Archived Aug. 1997. Assumption of office as President 25 July 1997; ''India News'', 1–15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Prime minister I. K. Gujral' 15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006. ttps://web.archive.org/web/20020204025546/http://presidentofindia.nic.in/S/html/poilady.htm Biography of First Lady Usha Narayanan Archived February 2002. Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru research centre for Siddha and Ayurveda Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Prime minister Manmohan Singh' speech on the dedication of K. R. Narayanan's ''tharavaadu'' for establishing a research centre in Indian medicine; 15 February 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Mari Marcel Thekaekara: , ''The Hindu'', 22 April 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Commentary: Mari Marcel Thekaekara: , ''The Hindu'', 11 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
;Commentary by journalists
*Amberish K. Diwanji ''Rediff'', Jul. 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*
Praveen Swami
Praveen Swami (born 1969) is an Indian journalist and author specialising on international strategic and security issues. He is currently the Group Consulting Editor at Network18 Group. He was the Diplomatic Editor of ''The Daily Telegraph'' new ...
"From demon to god" ''Frontline'' 14 (22), 1–14 November 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
**Cites the report ''Rediff'', 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Ajay Sing ''Asiaweek'',14 November 1997. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
*Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, Praveen Swami ''Frontline'' 14 (22), 1–14 November 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Sukumar Muralidharan ''Frontline'' 15 (5), 7–20 March 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Praveen Swami, Sudha Mahalingam ''Frontline'' 15 (21), 10–23 October 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Sukumar Muralidharan: , ''Frontline'' 16 (3), 30 January – 12 February 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*V. K. Madhavan Kutty ''Frontline'' 16 (3), 30 January – 12 February 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*V. Venkatesan: , ''Frontline'' 16 (15), 17–30 July 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Praveen Swami: , ''Frontline'' 20 (2), 18–31 January 2003. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Purnima S. Tripathi, Sukumar Muralidharan: , ''Frontline'' 19 (12), 8–21 June 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*V. Venkatesan: , ''Frontline'' 19 (13), 22 June-5 July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*A. G. Noorani ''Frontline'' 19 (13), 22 June −5 July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006
*Sukumar Muralidharan ''Frontline'' 19 (16), 3–16 August 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*A. G. Noorani ''Rediff'', 23 July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Siriyavan Anand ''Himal'', July 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
;Obituaries and reminiscences
*Editorial of ''The Hindu'': , ''The Hindu'', 10 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*
Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Gopalkrishna Devadas Gandhi (born 22 April 1945) is a former administrator and diplomat who served as the 22nd Governor of West Bengal serving from 2004 to 2009. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). As a former ...
: , ''The Hindu'', 12 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*Gopalkrishna Gandhi: , ''Frontline'' 22 (24), 5–18 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
*