K.R. Narayanan · Public Service
Kocheril Raman Narayanan was born on 27 October 1920 (some records cite 1921) in Uzhavoor, Kottayam district, in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (present-day Kerala), into a Dalit family of modest means.
BA in English from Travancore University; postgraduate study at the London School of Economics on a scholarship, where he was mentored by the political scientist Harold Laski.
He briefly worked as a journalist before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1949 — among the first Dalits to enter the IFS. Over a long diplomatic career he served as India's Ambassador to Thailand, Turkey, China and the United States. He later entered politics at Rajiv Gandhi's invitation, was elected to the Lok Sabha, served as a Union Minister, and became Vice President of India in 1992.
Elected the 10th President of India in 1997, becoming the first Dalit to hold the office. He was known for actively using his constitutional discretion in a few high-profile instances rather than acting purely ceremonially, and received numerous honorary doctorates over his career. He passed away in November 2005.