1 / 11President Droupadi Murmu, who is the second woman in the top constitutional post, succeeded Ram Nath Kovind and was sworn in by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana at Parliament's Central Hall. The tribal leader, India's youngest president at 64 and the first to be born after Independence, took the oath of office in the name of God to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law". (Image: PTI)
2 / 11It is the power of India's democracy that a girl born in a poor tribal home could reach the topmost constitutional post, she said in her address, marking her journey from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, one of the most underdeveloped in India, to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Murmu, who began her speech in Hindi with Johar, a traditional tribal greeting, said, “That I attained the post of president is not my personal achievement. It is the achievement of every poor person in India. My election is proof of the fact that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil them too.” (Image: PTI)
3 / 11In her address that lasted a little over 18 minutes, she spoke on a gamut of issues, including the poor, tribal communities, sustainable development as well as the government's digital India and vocal for local initiatives' and its handling of the COVID pandemic. (Image: PTI)
4 / 11As celebrations broke out in several parts of the country, she said she belonged to tribal society and had got the opportunity to rise from serving as a ward councillor to becoming the president of India. “This is the greatness of India, the mother of democracy," she said to thunderous applause from the gathering that included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers, former president Pratibha Patil, MPs as well as leaders such as Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who backed her election. (Image: PTI)
5 / 11The new president, who was born in a Santhal family, said she grew up in a small tribal village where even getting primary education was a dream and went on to become the first person in the village to enroll for college education. "It is a matter of great satisfaction for me that those who have been deprived for centuries and those who have been denied the benefits of development, those poor, downtrodden, backwards and tribals are seeing their reflection in me," she said. Pictured: People from Santali tribal community play drums to celebrate Murmu's swearing-in ceremony. (Image: PTI)
6 / 11The prime minister described Murmu taking over as president as a watershed moment. "In her address after taking oath, President Droupadi Murmu Ji gave a message of hope and compassion. She emphasised on India's accomplishments and presented a futuristic vision of the path ahead at a time when India is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav," Modi said. "The entire nation watched with pride as Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji took oath as the President of India. Her assuming the Presidency is a watershed moment for India, especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. I wish her the very best for a fruitful Presidential tenure," he added. (Image: PTI)
7 / 11The day, which started with outgoing president Kovind and Murmu arriving in a procession from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the Parliament Building, was edged with ceremony and celebration. India's new president was given a 21-gun salute after which she signed the oath register to applause and the thumping of desks. (Image: PTI)
8 / 11After the short ceremony, Murmu and Kovind were escorted out of the Central Hall amid the roll of drums and blowing of trumpets. There was a national salute by the President's Bodyguard at Gate No 5 of Parliament. The new president and her predecessor left in a ceremonial procession back to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. (Image: PTI)
9 / 11In keeping with the occasion, caparisoned horses, and men in white lined the route from Parliament up Raisina Hill to the British-era presidential palace as the presidential convoy made its way. As monsoon clouds framed the dome of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the new commander in chief of the armed forces inspected a tri-services guard of honour in the forecourt. (Image: PTI)
10 / 11Former president Kovind and his family, who move to a bungalow in Lutyens Delhi, were given a formal send-off by the prime minister and other dignitaries as well as the Rashtrapati Bhavan staff. Catapulted into the presidential spotlight, the unassuming Murmu is believed to be deeply spiritual and a keen practitioner of the meditation techniques of the Brahma Kumaris, a movement she embraced after she lost her husband, and two sons, mother and brother in just six years between 2009-2015. Her daughter Itishree works in a bank in Odisha. (Image: PTI)
11 / 11Her first steps in politics were taken in Rairangpur where she was elected as BJP councillor in the Rairangpur Notified Area Council in 1997. She rose to being a minister in Odisha's BJD-BJP coalition government from 2000 to 2004. In 2015, she was appointed governor of Jharkhand and stayed in the post till 2021. In tribute to her remarkable journey through personal tragedies and triumphs, there was music and dance in several places, including Ranchi, Chikmagalur and Bhubaneswar. (Image: PTI)
