Droupadi Murmu takes oath as India's 15th President

My election is a proof of the fact that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil them too, Murmu said

Droupadi Murmu was Monday sworn in as the 15th President of India at the historic Central Hall of Parliament, creating many firsts — she is the first tribal to become the First Citizen, the first head of the state to be born after Independence and the youngest.

The second woman to be the President, 64-year-old Murmu took oath in the name of God in Hindi to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law", as a galaxy of country's top leaders like President Ram Nath Kovind, former President Pratibha Patil, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Congress president Sonia Gandhi watched in rapt attention.

"My election is a proof of the fact that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil them too," Murmu told the gathering at the Central Hall after Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath of office at 10.15 AM.

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Dressed in a white saree with green and red border, Murmu said that it was a matter of "great satisfaction" for her 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 her.

Recalling that she started her "journey of life from a small tribal village in Odisha" where it was a "like a dream for me to get elementary education" and went on to become the "first daughter of my village to go to college", she said, "I have 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."

In a ceremony marked by pomp and grandeur, Murmu was given a 21-gun salute after which she signed the oath register. The ceremony started with Kovind accompanying Murmu from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the Parliament in a car cavalcade.

At Parliament, Murmu was received by the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Lok Sabha Speaker. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the President left for Rashtrapati Bhavan with the former President.

At Rashtrapati Bhavan, a tri-services guard of honour was given to the new President in the forecourt while courtesies were extended to the outgoing President, who left for his new residence.

In her acceptance speech at the Central Hall, she paid tributes to India's freedom fighters, and said the country will have to move quickly on the twin tracks of "sabka prayas" (everyone's effort) and "sabka kartavya'' (everyone's duty) to fulfil their expectations in the next 25 years when India celebrates 100 years of independence.

"It is my great privilege to be given this responsibility at such a historic time when India is engaged with full vigour in realising its vision for the next 25 years. I also happen to be the first President of the country who was born in independent India," she said.