NEW DELHI: He liked everything simple in life, but A P J Abdul Kalam got a grand farewell as the country's Head of the State at a ceremonial function on the forecourt of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The colorful ceremony began with the arrival of Pratibha Patil, shortly after she was sworn in as the country's first woman President, as rain clouds gathered over the Presidential palace adding to its glory.
Patil was driven in a buggy pulled by eight stallions to the forecourt where she inspected the guard of honor by the three services in the presence of dignitaries including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The new President, dressed in a off white sari with a broad green border, savored every moment of her reception as she smiled and cheerfully waved at the battery of lens men gathered to catch on camera the historic moment.
After inspecting her first guard of honor, she was escorted into the red sandstone structure in the buggy from where she emerged sometime later along with Kalam, according to the tradition.
Kalam then inspected his farewell guard of honor and exchanged pleasantries with Singh, senior cabinet ministers, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Supreme Court Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and chiefs of the armed forces.
He even posed for a photograph with the family members of Patil before he drove out of the palatial building, his home for the last five years, accompanied by the country's new Head of the State.
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