By Liz Mathew, IANS
New Delhi : President Pratibha Patil’s first six months in Rashtrapati Bhavan may not have grabbed the headlines, but she has put her stamp on the presidency in her own low-key way.
Unlike her predecessor A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who became in many ways one of the most popular presidents the country has had, Patil keeps a relatively low profile.
As India’s first woman president, Patil, who completes six months in office Friday (Jan 25), has so far given 34 speeches and issued 76 press releases on her activities, her office says.
But Rashtrapati Bhavan staff say life for them is more systematic with the new president, as hers is a family of early risers – unlike Kalam, who usually got up late, had his breakfast after 12 noon and stayed up late too.
The Patils are apparently health conscious and go for regular morning walks. They have their meals on time and prefer to go to bed early. Patil’s family includes her husband Devisingh Shekhawat, and her two children as well as grandchildren who frequently visit her.
Finicky about neatness, Patil is particular that her office table be tidy and organised always – a far cry from the cluttered study table of the studious Kalam.
It was Patil’s idea to open to the public the splendid ceremonial changing of guard at the presidential palace on Saturdays. She has also suggested that more areas of the 359-room presidential palace be opened to the public.
While Kalam always spoke for children in general, Patil’s concern for the girl child and women’s issues is evident from her speeches. She recently urged young women to learn martial arts for self-defence and asked the government to come up with stringent laws against sexual harassment.
A table tennis player in her college days, Patil is known to be a sports lover. In the past six months, Rashtrapati Bhavan has hosted a number of sportsmen, including the Indian cricket team, world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand and Formula 1 race champion Narain Kartikeyan.
Unlike Kalam and his predecessor K.R. Narayanan, 73-year-old Patil is extremely religious and festivals are celebrated with traditional ceremonies. In fact, her religious beliefs triggered a controversy during her presidential campaign when, in an interview, Patil reportedly said the late Dada Lekhraj, founder of the Brahma Kumari sect, had spoken to her in her dream.
On her birthday Dec 19, Patil planted a jamun tree, the first plant in the new Nakshatra Garden – a garden of 27 trees linked to celestial patterns – in the palace backyard.
Patil also never misses a chance to do philanthropy. “I celebrate my birthdays working for the needy,” she was quoted as saying to the destitute and special children at Nirmal Hriday, run by the Missionaries of Charity, with whom she spent her birthday.
Contrary to general belief that presidents follow clockwork precision and come for official functions right on time, Patil appears to be somewhat more relaxed on the aspect of punctuality. For quite a few functions, the president arrived minutes late – be it her first public function at the Pusa Institute or Vice President Hamid Ansari’s swearing-in ceremony.
Kalam too was not very particular about arriving on time, though he did spend a fair bit of time at the venue. But Patil, who is always seen draped in elegant silk saris, prefers to leave the venue as soon as she finishes her official duty.
If Kalam, who aimed at meeting one million students during his tenure, had been an ardent traveller, Patil is choosy about her trips and tries to limit them to once a month.
In his five years as president, Kalam went on 160 tours within India. But Patil has so far travelled only to the southern states, Port Blair and her home state Maharashtra.
The Patils are also said to be film buffs. And much to the surprise of their aides, they enjoy watching the latest releases in the theatre within the presidential palace.
(Liz Mathew can be contacted at [email protected])