KR Narayanan

Public life

After retiring from Indian Foreign Service, Narayanan was appointed as vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in January 1979 and he remained in that post till October 1980. In the same year, he was appointed as India's Ambassador to the United States of America. He functioned in that position till 1984.

After completing this assignment, he entered politics and won three successive General Elections in 1984, 1989 and 1991 from the parliament constituency of Ottapalam in Kerala. During this period he served as the Union Minister of State for Planning (1985), External Affairs (1985-86) and Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, Space, Electronics and Ocean Development and Vice-President, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1986-89).

Narayanan was elected as the Vice-President of India in August 1992 and served in that position till his elevation as the President of India in July 1997. He was ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) during this period.

Prior to this, Narayanan served as a Member of various Indian delegations to :· United Nations General Assembly (1979)· The UN Security Council in Novermber 1985 on Namibian Independece Conference of Non-aligned Nations at Harare ( 1986 )· The Special Session of the UN General Assembly in May 1986 on the critical situation in Africa.