‘He has achieved what he dreamt of’

KANPUR: The childhood friends of Ram Nath Kovind, Bihar governor and presidential candidate of the NDA, says the Dalit leader is getting what he always dreamt of.

Vijay Pal, who was a classmate of Kovind, recollects that he used to call himself “governor” or “laat sahib” and performed the role of senior government officers in street plays.

Pal studied with Kovind till class 5 at a government school in Khanpur, four kilometres from Paraukhan village. He said Kovind was a studious and a hardworking student.

“He always wanted to make a difference and had the desire to make it big in life. His family backed him fully,” said Pal who wept bitterly when Kovind left the village for Kanpur at the age of 13. Jaswant Singh, another classmate of Kovind, said he was a deeply religious person. “He is a simple soul and is being rewarded for his goodness. How many people become what they dreamt of? He has done it,” Singh said.

“Kovind never made a false promise and lied ever during his school days,” he said. A teacher at Akbarpur Intermediate College Dr Rajjan Lal Misra said Ko vind used to give a patient hearing to the people’s grievances.

“He turned his ancestral house into a community centre in Paraukhan as there was no proper place in the village where marriages could be solemnised. We fir mly believe he would change the face of Paraukhan and the youths will get new opportunities if he becomes the next President,” he said. “He remained in touch with the village people,” said Ashok Trivedi who served Kovind as PRO for seven years.