Remembrance: Dr. Pranab Mukherjee – Kunal Roy

Pranab Mukherjee left for the final abode: The End of an Era: A Reflection

With the sad demise of our ex President Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the end of a political era has been pronounced with much dignity and solemnity. He was the 13th President who served his office with sincerity from 2012 to 2017. A political career spanning for nearly five decades borne a strong testimony to his sharp wit, disarming intelligence, flawless eloquence and above all aplenty accolades he earned from his follow mates.
But the journey was never been easy for him. After all he did not have any political background which could easily push him high into the realm of politics. However, the idiom: “Fortune favours the brave” was proved true anew when Indira Gandhi, the first lady prime minister of India gave him the ticket to the political world. She helped him to bag a seat in Rajya Sabha in the 60’s and he did not have to turn back again! Success is always followed by a spate of tests and Mukherjee was not an exception in this regard. Right after the political carnage of Indira Gandhi, Mukherjee was kept aside from the main stream of Congress Politics. He considered himself and not the novice Rajiv Gandhi to be the following prime minister of the nation. But the dream remained a dream until PV Narasimha Rao appeared on the political screen in 1991 and Mukherjee was once more able to return to his domain! He became the finance minister and carried out his duties and responsibilities quite effectively to benefit the mass. Gradually time flew away and he served a number of offices with various designations with a dash of elan! Finally he retired from his presidency owing to age and health issues. His presidentship continued without any pitfall. There was no a single tinge of complaint against this humble soul during his tenure! He could read the pulse of the mass and responded accordingly to avoid any kind of political discrepancy that could mar the future frame of policies!
Armed with a double masters in History and political science, he also instilled the essence of good teachings in his students. He served as a faculty in the Vidyasagar College for a certain period of time. Later awarded with Bharat Ratna,the highest civilian award India. Undoubtedly it is an irrevocable loss to our country and much more to the political arena and its people who nurtured a close relation with him. Surely, death is an inevitable truth and the silence it brings in its wake is far from comforting! Mukherjee is no more among us but his ideals will continue to inspire the future posterity. After all a journey never ends, it only changes the course to reach the summit of life!!