Kanpur: President Ram Nath Kovind said on Sunday he had never imagined that an “ordinary boy” like him would hold the highest post of the nation.
“I had never imagined even in my dreams that an ordinary boy like me from a village would get the privilege of discharging responsibilities of the highest office of the country. But our democratic system has made it possible,” he said during the course of an emotional speech at the Jan Abhinandan Samaroh at his native village on Sunday.
He visited Paraunkh village, situated in Kanpur Dehat district, where he interacted with old acquaintances.
Thanking the people of the village, the President said: “As far as I have reached today, the credit goes to the soil of this village and the love and blessings of all of you.”
In a rare gesture, President Kovind touched the ground to pay obeisance on arriving at his birthplace. He is India’s second Dalit President, after KR Narayanan.
“For me, Paraunkh is not only a village, it is my ‘maatribhoomi’ (motherland) from where I get inspiration to serve the country. This inspiration has made me reach from the high court to the Supreme Court to the Rajya Sabha. From the Rajya Sabha, I moved to the Raj Bhavan and from there to the Rashtrapati Bhavan,” the President said at the gathering.
The President and First Lady Savita Devi travelled by a special train from Delhi to Kanpur on Saturday.
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