President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the birth centenary of President R. Venkataraman at Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The release marked the end of year-long centenary celebrations organised from December 2010 to celebrate the life of India's eighth President.
Paying tributes to the former President, the former diplomat, Lalit Mansingh, described Mr. Venkataraman as a person of integrity, intellect and a patron of arts.
Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology Kapil Sibal spoke about the former President's outstanding parliamentary career and the role he played in the industrialisation of Tamil Nadu. “He was an outstanding administrator; in fact he was known as the father of industrialisation. He brought his home State to the top in the list of industrialised States,” recalled Mr. Sibal.
The Minister said the former President had the unique distinction of having worked with four Prime Ministers, with whom he had excellent partnership and always remained true to the Constitution. “He was much respected for the sagacity and fair approach,” Mr. Sibal added.
Speaking on the occasion, Lakshmi Venkataram Venkatesan, daughter of the former President, recalled how self-effacing he was and, on being appointed the President, had said that it was not something he had imagined. She said that if he had been alive today, he would have said the same about the commemorative stamp issued in his honour. “This commemorative stamp is a recognition from the institution that my father believed in and loved the most — the nation of India,” she said.
