By IANS
New Delhi : Was it a blessing from the heavens? As President Pratibha Devisingh Patil received the ceremonial 21-gun salute after being administered the oath of office by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan Wednesday, there was a brief spell of welcome rain.
The showers, very conveniently, stopped as soon as the new president and her immediate predecessor, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam stepped out of Parliament House.
Dressed in a green-bordered white silk sari and a white full-sleeve blouse, Patil and the smiling Kalam were earlier driven in a shining black limousine amidst fanfare from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Flanked by Presidential Bodyguards on horsebacks, smart in their white uniform and carrying pennant-topped lances, the motorcade slowly made its way towards Parliament House about half a kilometre away.
With a pleasant weather to complement the mood, the scene was every bit a royal ceremony. The route was lined with Indian Army soldiers who saluted as the procession passed by.
At Parliament House, Kalam stepped out of the car first followed by Patil.
While being escorted into the Central Hall by the Presidential Bodyguards, a dhoti-clad Somnath Chatterjee, speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Balakrishnan, Patil looked solemn, and perhaps even a trace nervous, while Kalam smiled and waved at the photographers waiting to get their coveted picture.
The sombre look, however, gave away after Patil was sworn in as India's 12th head of state, a position she had probably not dreamed of two months ago. As the ceremonial 21-gun salute resounded outside Parliament House, a smile shone on the face of the nation's new president.
Patil's first speech to the nation as the country's president was very forward looking in which she talked about social inclusion, women's empowerment, development of scientific temper and modern education.
She also quoted Marathi saint-poet Sant Tukaram and Bengali literary icon Rabindranath Tagore. Sounding clear and confident, Patil spoke in both English as well as in Hindi.
As they walked back from the Central Hall, Patil was all smiles. She walked with folded hands acknowledging the greetings of MPs from both houses of parliament.
Walking out, Kalam once again did not fail to smile and wave at the hordes of photographers waiting outside Parliament House.
After taking the national salute, Kalam and Patil got into the black limousine that was waiting to take them to back to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Once there, the new president took the salute once again, very smartly, along with former president Kalam. Following this they retired to the study of the 340-room Rashtrapati Bhavan which was home to Kalam for the past five years.
After spending some time in the study, which overlooks the magnificent Mughal Gardens, Patil escorted Kalam to the limousine which was waiting to take him to the army guest house in south Delhi's Delhi Cantonment area where he spent some time before heading for Chennai to go back to his career in academics.