Books highlighting some of the rarest photographs of President Ram Nath Kovind and former presidents of the country will be released during a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 24, an official said on Saturday. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur will release three books during the function that will be attended by outgoing President Kovind, President-elect Droupadi Murmu, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others, he said.
Two books – ‘Moods, Moments and Memories’, that has a visual history of former presidents of India from 1950-2017, and the other titled ‘The First Citizen’, has a pictorial record of President Kovind’s term, the official said. The third book ‘Interpreting Geometries Flooring of Rashtrapati Bhavan’, is a unique repository of flooring patterns designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the abode of the Viceroy of India in 1912 (a project that lasted until 1929).
Kovind, who was sworn in as the 14th President of India on July 25, 2017, completes his five-year term on Sunday. Droupadi Murmu will be sworn in as the 15th President of the Republic on Monday. President Kovind, in his efforts to further open up the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the people of India, wishes to share the visual history of the Rashtrapati Bhavan with them and the publication ‘Moods, Moments and Memories…’ is a part of that mission, he said.
“The photo archive offers such glimpses of the former presidents that make them more human, and enrich their portrayal in the nation’s collective memory; These are chapters in a pictorial history, capturing myriad moods, moments, and memories of the presidency,” reads the introduction of the book.
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The images bring out lesser-known aspects of the presidential persona that take a back seat on ceremonial occasions, it said. “When we think of past presidents, images that come to mind are from ceremonial functions. That is of course the most important facet of their role, but there are bound to be other facets, for example, spending quality time with family, playing golf, or reading in the library.
“Thus came the idea of exploring the less formal aspects of our former presidents,” said Delhi-based journalist Ashish Upendra Mehta, who did research and photo selection for both books. “The First Citizen presents a selection of photographs from President Ram Nath Kovind’s term. It has been structured around themes such as his visits across the nation, visits abroad, and interactions with key personalities. This is a visual record of all aspects of the president’s functions, he said.
The president’s unique personality comes across beautifully in it, yet it is focused not so much on an individual but on the highest Constitutional office of the Republic, Mehta said. “The Rashtrapati Bhavan has a rich photo archive, and making a selection was a challenging process. But some unusual and fascinating images have been put together. Naturally, it also presents a pictorial history of the Republic from 1950 to 2017. We hope readers will find it delightful,” he told PTI.
One of the pictures in the book shows R Venkataraman (who was president from 1987-92), joining a dance with tribals in Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha on November 13, 1987. A picture of former President Pratibha Patil (2007-2012) preparing for a sortie on a Su-30 aircraft at the Air Force School, Pune, on November 25, 2009, is also in this collection captured in ‘Moods, Moments and Memories’ Besides, a photo of former president (late) Pranab Mukherjee (2012-17) showing him “in conversation on his mobile phone at his office in the family wing” on July 10, 2016, is also the part of this rare visual history.
The First Citizen book has rare photographs of President Kovind including, the one at the Air Force Station, Pune, where he witnessed an air display, interacted with the air warriors, and also experienced the SU-30 MKI full mission simulator on December 7, 2021. Another picture shows Kovind bowing and touching the soil to pay obeisance to the land of his birth on arrival at Paraunkh village, Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh on June 27, 2021.
The idea of publication of the third book on Rashtrapati Bhavan stems from the inherent importance of the building as the residence of the first citizen of India, the officer said. A team of four faculty members and six students of Master of Architecture (M. Arch) of Chandigarh College of Architecture was constituted to undertake the task of documentation followed by the conception of a set of publications, he said.
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