NEW
DELHI, July 25 (IslamOnline) - APJ Abdul Kalam became the third Muslim
President of the Republic of India, after the Supreme Court Chief
Justice BN Kirpal swore him in at an impressive function in the
Central Hall of parliament at 10 am Thursday, July 25.
The
oath-taking ceremony was attended by outgoing President KR Narayanan,
Vice-President Krishna Kant, Speaker Manohar Joshi, Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee, opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, 122 guests, as
well as 100 school children, mostly teenagers.
After
being sworn in, Narayanan and Kalam changed seats, signaling the
ushering in of a new presidency. A 21-gun salute boomed in the new
President's honor.
In
his inaugural speech, President Kalam said that India's commitment to
democracy and secularism was paramount and therefore irrevocable.
"I
would like to pledge my unending support to secularism. Secularism is
the cornerstone of our nation and the key feature of our strength. I
have met many religious leaders of all faiths in the past year and
they all echoed one message; that is, unity of minds and hearts of our
people will happen and we will see the golden age of our country, very
soon," he said.
The
new president also stressed the need for a "vision" to face
challenges of cross-border terrorism, internal conflicts and
unemployment. "To face these challenges, there must be a vision
to ensure focused action of one billion citizens of this great country
with varied capabilities," said Kalam.
"Can
the government alone achieve this vision?" he asked, adding:
"Now, we need a movement in the country. This is the time to
ignite the minds of the people for this movement. We will work for it.
We cannot emerge as a developed nation if we do not learn to transact
with speed."
"I
would like to endeavor to work for bringing about unity of minds among
divergent traditions of our country," he declared.
Kalam
had earlier described his new assignment as "a preparation for
another missile launch."
"My
story is a story of a scientist tested by failures and setbacks; the
story of a leader supported by a large team of dedicated
professionals," he said.
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President
Kalam being sworn by the Chief Justice of India, Justice BP
Kirpal
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About
his humble past, the new president recalled himself as "a short
boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome
parents. I ate with my mother. She would feed me on the floor of the
kitchen, place a banana leaf before me, on which she ladled rice and
aromatic sambhar (dish of lentils), home-made pickles and a
dollop of fresh coconut chutney."
Abdul
Kalam is the third Muslim President of India. Dr. Zakir Hussain was
the first Muslim president of the country and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad was
the second.
Zakir
Hussain was an educationist who served two universities, Jamia Millia
Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University as vice-chancellor. He served as
Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962. On May 13, 1962, he became second
vice-president of India. In 1967, he was sworn in as the third
president of India. However, he could not complete his term and died
in office May 3, 1969.
Fakhruddin
Ali Ahmad was born May 13, 1905 in Delhi. He had his higher education
in England and became a Bar-at-Law. He joined the Indian National
Congress and participated in the freedom struggle of the country. He
also served as minister in the government of the eastern state of
Assam and held different portfolios. He became the fifth President of
India on 20 August 1974. He too could not complete his tenure and died
in office February 11, 1977
