Today marks the 101st birth anniversary of the former President of India, K.R. Narayanan. Kocheril Raman Narayanan, also known as K. R. Narayanan, was a diplomat, academic, and politician.
He was the 10th President and 9th Vice-President of India. K.R. Narayanan was born in the Pulaya caste to Kocheril Raman Vaidyar and Punnaththuraveettil Paappiyamma in Uzhavoor, Kerala, India.
His father was an Ayurvedic practitioner. He moved to Delhi and worked as a journalist for The Hindu and The Times of India for a short time. During this time, he interviewed Mahatama Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.
Narayanan entered politics at Indira Gandhi's urging and won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections from the Ottapalam Constituency on a Congress ticket in 1984, 1989, and 1991.
Under the presidency of Shankar Dayal Sharma, he was elected as India's 9th Vice-President on August 21, 1992.
He described the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, as the "biggest catastrophe India has endured since Mahatma Gandhi's murder."
He was elected as India's 10th President on July 17, 1997.
He was India's first Dalit President, as well as the first Malayali to hold the country's highest position.
In order to pay tributes, netizens including political leaders have taken to Twitter as they remember India's first Dalit President who made tremendous contributions to the country.
Have a look:
