Ram Nath Kovind's 'Moods, Moments and Memories': A visual story of 13 Indian Presidents

'Moods, Moments, and Memories...Former Presidents of India (1950-2017)' is a visual story by outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind. This compilation which runs over 45 pages, is a pictorial representation of the history of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, a part of President Kovind's efforts to open the palatial official residence of the first citizen to the other citizens of India. Within the pages is a selection of unusual and informal photographs of the Presidents that preceded Kovind to the post, from 1950 to 2017. 

The photo archive by the outgoing President offers glimpses of the 13 former Presidents, though often heard of, yet very distant, and make them more human. The series of coloured and monochrome pictures, capturing myriad moods, moments and memories of the President enrich their portrayal in the nation's collective memory.

In the introductory chapter, Kovind has revealed how 'in physical photographs in large and heavy registers, in negatives tucked in small envelopes inside shelves of catalogue boxes, and in scanned images stored in electronic databases, the Rashtrapati Bhavan photo archive — consisting of over 5 lakh images — is a veritable composite biography of the heads of nation, and their magnificent residence'.

For the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, the outgoing President has reserved the first four pages, and rightly so, as the book has been formatted in chronological order. In these pages, Prasad's picture dated January 26, 1950, is the first one to feature. In the picture, he can be seen sitting with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the forecourt of Government House. 

The series of the second President, Dr S Radhakrishnan, starts with his picture and his predecessor Dr. Rajendra Prasad on the former's birthday, September 5, from the year 1964. Pictures of Radhakrishnan, who was the President of the Republic from 1962 to 1967, enliven the time when he took oath as the President; when he held a reception for the delegates of the International Film Festival of India in Mughal Gardens, among others. 

The reflection of Dr Zakir Hussain, the President between 1967-69, is on three pages of the book, that captures the lesser-known aspects of the presidential persona. Say, for example, the time when he arrived at the Jama Masjid to attend the Eid prayers or the time he recorded the address to the Nation at the TV studio in All India Radio. 

Also, the compilation has pictures of VV Giri (1969-74) playing with a family pet dog, Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-77) relaxing with a game at the Golf course, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1977-82) at the Malappuram beech in Kerala, Giani Zail Singh (1982-87) participating in Holi celebrations, R Venkataraman (1978-92) joining a dance with tribals, Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992-97) shaking hands with Santa Claus and KR Narayanan (1997-02) strolling the streets of the city of Toulouse, France. 

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, an Indian aerospace scientist, who held the position from 2002 to 2007, has been shown in his element-- demonstrating to school children how to use a telescope during his visit to Andhra Pradesh-- in a picture that dates back to December 2006. 

The pictures of the first woman President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil from her time in the Presidential seat from 2007 to 2018, show her brief moments with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during her ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace. One of the pictures also shows her on a palanquin during her pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, and on a Su-30 aircraft at the Air Force School, Pune preparing for a sortie.

The immediate predecessor of President Kovind, Pranab Mukherjee's candid moments, for instance, when he was checking his visage in the mirror before recording the Address to the Nation ahead of Republic Day or when he was checking the weights after inaugurating the Recreation Club Fitness Centre in the President’s Estate, have also been added. 

As rightly pointed out by the author himself, "the images bring out lesser-known aspects of the presidential persona that take a backseat on ceremonial occasions. Joyous, sombre, pensive, lost in a book, spending quality time with family after a tactic official schedule, trying out gardening, lost in thoughts amid official itinerary and sightseeing abroad…"

Image: PTI, Twitter, Republic World