The great Indian Presidential tamasha

[def] President: /ˈprɛzɪdənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[prez-i-duh nt], the highest executive officer of a modern republic.
[def] Politics: /ˈprɛzɪdənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[poli-tics], poli means many and tics means blood sucking insects. Politics is a term used for a group of people better know for their misdeeds and selfish activities.

As it is clear from the definition, I'm talking about President of a country or a republic and not about a President of an organization. President is often regarded as the first citizen of the country. And is rightly considered the most prestigious rank in any country. But India has a very different story to tell... a story which raises eyebrows and provide no answers to bring those eyebrows back to rest.

Indian Presidents have a history of about 57 years, with the first President selected in 1950. Let's walk through the list of the Prez we've had so far-

1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad [term from 1950]-
2. Dr. Rajendra Prasad [2nd term till 1962]-
   Rajendra Prasad was an independence activist and, as a leader of the Congress Party, played a prominent role in the Indian Independence Movement. He served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the constitution of the Republic from 1948 to 1950. He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India.
   
3. Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan [term 1962-1967]-
   One of the foremost scholars of comparative religion and philosophy in his day, he built a bridge between Eastern and Western thought showing each to be comprehensible within the terms of the other. He introduced Western idealism into Indian philosophy and was the first scholar of importance to provide a comprehensive exegesis of India's religious and philosophical literature to English speaking peoples. His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921-?) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University (1936-1939). He was also the first Vice-President of India.
   
4. Dr. Zakir Husain [term 1967-1969]
   Dr. Zakir Husain was an outstanding scholar who had contributed much to the popularization of the Gandhian scheme of the basic national education. The scheme was launched in 1938 and Dr. Husain was the President of the Hindustani Talimi Sangh, Sevagram (1938- 1948).He was first awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1954 and the Bharat Ratna in 1963. He had been the recipient of academic honors from various Indian Universities.
   
5. Shri V V Giri [term 1969-1974]
   He earned a law degree in Ireland, where he practiced law. After participating in the Easter Rebellion (1916), he was deported to India, where he became active in the nationalist movement. After independence he served as high commissioner in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka; 1947–51) and as governor successively of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Mysore until 1967, when he was elected vice president. In 1969 he became acting president and later in the year, as a supporter of Indira Gandhi, was elected to a five-year term. He was succeeded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
   
6. Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed [term 1974-1977]
   Fakhruddin matriculated from Delhi Government High School and proceeded to England for higher education in 1913 where he joined Cambridge University and was called to the Bar from the Inner Temple of London. On his return to India in 1928, he started legal practice in the Lahore High Court.
   
7. Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy [term 1977-1982]
   He came from a respectable and well-to-do family. He had his early education at Adyar, Madras and then at the Arts College at Anantapur. While still in college he gave up his studies to participate in the freedom struggle launched by Mahatma Gandhi. He first took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931. Within a few years he came into prominence as an influential peasant leader. He participated in various struggles against the British and was imprisoned several times. Sanjeeva Reddy took an active part in the Quit India Movement. In 1946 Sanjeeva Reddy was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly and later on he became the Secretary of the Congress Legislature Party in Madras. He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly in India.
   
8. Giani Zail Singh [term 1982-1987]
   Sardar Zail Singh Ramgarhia was given the title of Giani, as he was educated and learned about Guru Granth Sahib. He had a humble start in life and his father was a carpenter. He was killed in an automobile accident. Zail Singh's public life was long and varied - freedom fighter, state Congress leader, Chief Minister and Union Home Minister. A fighter against princedom, feudalism and foreign domination in the pre-independence days, he is also remembered for his crusade against communalism, economic disparities and social injustice in the republic. He also served as Chief Minister of Punjab.
   
9. Shri R Venkataraman [term 1987-1992]
   Educated locally and in the city of Madras, Shri Venkataraman obtained his Master Degree in Economics from Madras University. He later qualified in Law from the Law College, Madras. Shri Venkataraman was enrolled in the High Court, Madras in 1935 and in the Supreme Court in 1951. While practicing Law, Shri Venkataraman was drawn into the movement for India's freedom from Britain's colonial subjugation. His active participation in the Indian National Congress's celebrated resistance to the British Government, the 'Quit India Movement of 1942', resulted in his detention for two years under the British Government's Defence of India Rules.
   
10. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma [term 1992-1997]
    Dr. Sharma received his education at St. John's College, Agra, Allahabad University, Lucknow University, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, Lincoln's Inn and Harvard Law School. He took his M.A. Degrees in English Literature, Hindi and Sanskrit standing first in the University. He obtained his LL.M. from Lucknow University once again standing first in the University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Law at Cambridge. Dr. Sharma was awarded the Chakravarti Gold Medal for Social Service by Lucknow University.
    
11. Shri K. R Narayanan [term 1997-2002]-
    He is the only Dalit and the only Malayali to have held the Presidency. Shri Narayanan received his education from the University of Travancore where he obtained an M.A. degree in English Literature standing first in the University. Later, he obtained B.Sc (Econ.) degree from the London School of Economics with First Class Honours specialising in Political Science.
    
12. Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam [term 2002- 2007]-
    A notable scientist and engineer, he is often referred to as the Missile Man of India for his work and is considered a leading progressive, mentor, innovator and visionary in India. His term as president ends on July 25, 2007 as he did not seek re-election. Kalam has received honorary doctorates from thirty universities[2], as well as recipient of India's three highest civilian honours in order: the Padma Bhushan in 1981; the Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Kalam is the first President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna before being elected to the highest office. He is also the first scientist and first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan. He also has the distinction of being the third apolitical figure in the republic's history, to become President of India. Kalam was picked for the King Charles II Medal for his extraordinary contributions to the promotion of science and science in society in India.
13. Pratibha Devisingh Patil[term 2007 - ?]-
    the first female President-elect of India. She is a member of the Indian National Congress and was the nominee of the ruling United Progressive Alliance and Indian Left. She won the last presidential election, held on July 19, 2007 defeating her nearest rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by over 300,000 (value) votes. She will take office as India's first female president on July 25. A lawyer by training, Pratibha Patil was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing Edlabad constituency in Jalgaon District from 1962 to 1985. From 1986 to 1988, she held the post of deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. As a member of parliament, she represented Amravati in the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. She later became the 24th Governor of Rajasthan and, notably, was also the first female governor of this state.
    

So we have our 13th President today. Not exactly 13th, as Dr. Rajendra Prasad served for two terms in a row, so Ms. Pratibha is the 12th President serving the 13th term. But who is she?! Have you ever heard about her? Was there no one else suitable enough for the post? Was she the best choice and did she deserve it? All these questions and more have been haunting this nation for the past one month or so.

Last one month has seen events which were never seen and heard in the Indian history of Presidential elections. Never has India seen a President so few people know about... Never has India seen a President who has been involved in numerous accounts of controversies.

Who ever said Presidential elections were independent of dirty Indian politics? Congress [read Sonia Gandhi] has supported Pratibha for reasons so obvious... and has left no stone unturned to make sure that the two most powerful positions of the country- the PM and the President- are the two puppets of the blockbuster tamasha (play) called the Indian Politics.

In a recent poll by Indian Express, 95% of people had never heard about Pratibha Patil. Of course this percentage would have been less if the sample people were from Maharashtra [birth place] or Rajasthan [Governor]. But it's a shame that we keep quiet. It's a shame on the Indian media that they don't raise their voice when required. It's a shame on Sonia Gandhi that she didn't push Hon. Kalam sahab for a second term. It's a shame on Indian leaders that they couldn't find a better suitable, clean and people's President for this country.

I feel saddened and deeply concerned with the way things are shaping up in this country. Politics is living up to it's name- poli (many) + tics (blood sucking insects). It's all about power, it's all about money, it's all about the position and it's all about the right moves.

Here's a good write up by Shekhar Gupta.

Other links about the controversies-
The Pratibha Patil controversy: Digging up dirt
purdah system controversy
Pratibha Patil un'veil's a controversy
Pratibha Patil lands in another controversy
Pratibha's sugar mill a loan defaulter?

okay I think that's enough. I think out of the 11 Presidents we've had so far, we've been proud of all expect probably Giani Zail Singh. Add another to the unpopular list- Madame President.

Is Pratibha going to be a remote control in the hands of the Congress? Other than controversies, what's going to be her 5-year plan? I hope she does something worthwhile to get a space in my blog in the coming years :)

God bless,
G