Ram Nath Kovind the 14th President of India.

Ram Nath Kovind, has become the 14th President of India.

The villagers talk about how difficult life was this dalit, how father Maikulal Kori eked out a living for his family of nine children by running a small grocery store, how “Ram Nath” learnt his first lessons under the ancient pipal tree, how sharp he was, how fast he learnt things and remembered those, how spiritual he was.

His old classmates still reminisce about the little boy reciting Ramayana and Gita at a tender age; that they all walked barefoot eight km every day to attend high school in a village nearby. Unlike many of his mates, “Ram Nath” had gone to Kanpur to pursue higher studies and eventually to practice law in Delhi in the 1970s.

By the time he became personal assistant to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai in the late ’70s, the village had realised that they had a star in their midst. When in 1994, he became a Rajya Sabha MP, they had stopped being surprised.
The rest is history: Ram Nath Kovind developed Paraunkh into a "model village", using MP funds — paved roads, high school for girls, a State Bank of India branch, electricity meters in every house — even donating his ancestral home to the village.
Prime Minister Modi had to diffuse the confusion through a series of tweets: “Shri Ram Nath Kovind, a farmer’s son, comes from a humble background. He devoted his life to public service & worked for poor & marginalised.” “With his illustrious background in the legal arena, Shri Kovind’s knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation.” “I am sure Shri Ram Nath Kovind will make an exceptional President & continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden & marginalised.”