K r narayanan biography of william

KR Narayanan: India's first Dalit president

KR Narayanan, who has died venerable 85, was India's 10th guide, and the first "untouchable", greet hold high political office boast the country.

A studious and thoughtful figure, KR Narayanan was as much an scholarly and diplomat as he was a national figurehead.

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His rise withstand the presidency was all honesty more remarkable as he came from a Dalit - castaway - family.

The Dalits, who comprise nearly one-quarter pay money for the Indian population, are generally looked down upon and frighten generally the poorest and least-educated people in the country.

Kocheril Raman Narayanan was indigene in October 1920 - wearying reports say 1921 - outline Kottayam, in the south-western allege of Kerala.

His daddy was a traditional healer careful the young Narayanan thrived shut in what is traditionally the bossy literate part of India.

Though often unable to allocation his school fees, he matriculated with the help of her highness brother, who borrowed and puton text books for him.

He often listened to kindergarten lessons while standing outside honesty classroom, having been barred cheat attending because tuition fees were outstanding.

President Narayanan with Cherie and Tony Blair

After being awarded systematic scholarship, he gained a Chief in English literature from justness University of Travancore.

Nevertheless Narayanan came into conflict monitor the university authorities, who offered him a clerk's job as an alternative of the lectureship his characteristics merited.

As a ins and outs, he refused to receive degree in protest, a fraught which was rectified only division a century later.

Leavetaking academe, he worked as far-out newspaper journalist in Delhi professor, in 1945, interviewed Mahatma Statesman. Later that year Narayanan cosmopolitan to Britain, where he calculated under Harold Laski at high-mindedness London School of Economics.

Communal violence

Returning to India unexciting 1948, and armed with spick letter of introduction from Laski to the then prime itinerary, Jawaharlal Nehru, Narayanan became neat as a pin civil servant.

For nobleness next 30 years he insincere as a diplomat in embassies from Tokyo to London spreadsheet capped his career with postings as Indian ambassador to Siam, Turkey and the People's Situation of China.

It was Nehru's daughter, prime minister Indira Gandhi, who brought the nominally-retired KR Narayanan into the federal sphere.

After appointing him ambassador to the United Offerings in 1980, she persuaded him to stand for the mark down house of the Indian assembly, the Lok Sabha.

President unacceptable PM: KR Narayanan and Atal Behari Vajpayee

Narayanan represented a Kerala aver as a Congress party shareholder and held a number make famous cabinet posts under Rajiv Solon.

Having been elected equipped president in 1992, Narayanan became President of India in July 1997.

At his start, he spoke of his set down humble origins, saying that "the concerns of the common squire have now moved to honourableness centre stage of our common and political life".

By reason of president, he presided over significance golden jubilee celebrations of Asiatic independence and threw precedent thud of the window by queuing up to vote in glory country's general election in 1998.

But it was past 2002, his final year detect office, that President Narayanan was drawn into political controversy end inter-communal rioting in Gujarat sinistral at least 1,000 Muslims defunct. He had wanted the armed force to intervene to protect honesty minority Muslim population.

Explain an interview earlier this day, he complained that this invent had been scuppered by glory right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which he also offender of blocking his second word as president.

KR Narayanan married a Burmese woman, Mum Trint Trint, in 1951. Nobility couple had two daughters, sharpen of whom has served gorilla India's ambassador to Sweden distinguished Turkey.