President makes all feel at home
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday hosted the customary “At Home” on the occasion of the 64th Republic Day in the sprawling lawns of Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was his first “At Home”, but with a difference as the President walked up to the guests and exchanged greetings with them.
Mr Mukherjee met dignitaries and diplomatic corps in the sprawling Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as soon as the rendition of National Anthem ended. The security personnel of the President also did not pose any hurdles for those who wanted to greet him at the event which saw a huge turnout of nearly 2,000 people. The security barricade, which was conspicuous during the tenure of Mukehrjee’s predecessor Pratibha Patil, was less this time allowing people to move freely in the Mughal Gardens.
The President came out of the VVIP enclosure and met as many guests as possible individually, a gesture that was widely appreciated. “This is what’s called as the people’s President,” said Union minister Farooq Abdullah.
The President greeted Mr Abdullah and enquired about his health and thanked him for his comments. After this, the President settled in the VVIP enclosure where vicepresident Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, along with his wife Gursharan Kaur, Sonia Gandhi, Meira Kumar, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and this year’s Republic Day chief guest King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Queen Jetsun Pema were seated. BJP leader L. K. Advani, along with his entire family, was present at the occasion.
Ninty three- year- old Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh was seen moving and shaking hands with guests. The three service chiefs — General Bikram Singh, Air Chief Marshal N. A. K. Browne and Admiral D. K. Joshi — were seen mingling with the guests as was Union finance minister P. Chidambaram and Mr Abdullah.