KR Narayanan

Profile

Former president K.R. Narayanan died on November 9 2005 Wednesday at the Army Research and Referral Hospital here. Narayanan, 84, who has been suffering pneumonia and renal failure, breathed his last at 5.45 p.m., according to a Defence Ministry

Kocheril Raman Narayanan, popularly known as KR Narayanan assumed office as the 11th President of India on July 25, 1997. Born in to a small village named Uzhavoor, a remote village of Kottayam district in Kerala, he made every Malayalee proud by becoming the President of the world's largest democracy. He was also the first person to reach that far from among the deprived sections of India.

A man with a multifaceted personality, Narayanan worked as an academician, administrator, journalist, diplomat, and as a politician. One of the most proactive and educated president in the history of India, he refused to play subservience to political masters and had voiced his dissent whenever necessary and showed that the post of president is not a ceremonial one.. In fact, few Indian presidents have had a tenure such as President Narayanan's in the last four years.

President Narayanan never remained as a mute spectator to the erosion of liberal, socialist and secular values of India. He had shown courage to criticize policies, be it that of economic policies of the government or the Prime Minister Vajpayee's suggestion for having a fixed tenure for legislatures. He has defied many conventions. Narayanan has summoned, on occasion, senior bureaucrats and cabinet ministers to be briefed on issues, whereas propriety demanded that he do this through the Prime Minister, the head of the government.

Narayanan was absorbed in to the Indian Foreign Service in 1949, and served as a diplomat in several countries. He was appointed India's envoy to China in 1976 following resumption of Ambassador level relations between New Delhi and Beijing. He was also instrumental in improving India's relation with Great Britain.

An avid reader and a gifted writer, he has contributed articles on social, political, international and literary matters in various magazines and periodicals on a regular basis.

He served as member of the Indian delegation for the Non-Aligned Nations Conference as well as the Indian Delegation to UN conference. Various Indian and foreign universities have conferred upon him honourary doctorate degrees. He was also given the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship during 1970-72. He adorned the Presidents chair of various institutions like the Indian council for Cultural Relations, Indian Institute of Public Administration etc.

He was also Chairman to various National Award Committees and Juries. Besides, he is also the author of many splendid books and articles.

In 1984, he joined politics and was elected from Ottapalam constituency to the Lok Sabha and served as a Union Minister before becoming Vice-President and eventually the President of India.