New Delhi: When Pranab Mukherjee stood for the Presidential elections, he once narrated how in his younger days he used to watch the President's Bodyguards riding horses from outside the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan and dream of a day when he would get the same opportunity. Today, Pranab Mukherjee, politician par excellence and a major troubleshooter for the Congress party, occupies the hallowed seat in Rashtrapati Bhavan as India's first citizen. He is the 13th President, and took office in July 2012. Mukherjee loves the number '13'. For decades altogether, he lived in a government bungalow numbered 13, considered inauspicious by the rest of the world. A man with a razor-sharp intellect and mind, Pranab Mukherjee, born in the family of a freedom fighter, Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee in Birbhum district, had patriotism running in his blood. He did his MA in political science and LLB from Calcutta University and began his career as a clerk in Deputy Accountant General office. He taught political science in a college and also worked as a journalist for sometime, before joining politics. Mukherjee joined the Bangla Congress headed by Ajoy Mukherjee and came to the notice of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1969. Since then, he has never looked back, and held the plum portfolios of Finance, Defence, External Affairs in Manmohan Singh government. He has an interesting record of holding a portfolio under every Congress prime minister in the past 40 years. His bond with Congress has been old enough to have been a part of party's every thick and thin. Following Indira Gandhi's assassination there was a tussle for power in the party and Pranab Mukherjee became a part of it. After Rajiv Gandhi's swearing in as the next leader of government and country, Pranab Mukherjee did not find a place in the cabinet.The sulking Pranab Mukherjee quit the party and founded his own party, the Rashtriya Samajwadi Party.Later, after P.V Narsimaha Rao took over as the prime minister, he was called back and was handed over the responsibility of the Planning Commission as the deputy chairman.Ever since then, Mukherjee has always been looked up to by partymen in the time of crisis and issues. He had a way with words and is considered to be the best negotiator while dealing with opposition in parliament. Right before his election as the President, Mukherjee was serving as the Union Finance Minster. Mukherjee was once considered a stubborn child by his family members. During his school days, History remained his favorite subject. Married to Surva, Mukherjee loves his family. They have two sons Abhijit and Indirajit and a daughter Sharmistha. His daughter is a trained Kathak dancer and his son Abhijit has entered politics and is a Congress MLA from West Bengal. His wife is a singer and is a part of a musical group that performs Rabindra Sangeet. As a strong President, Mukherjee has been praised for rejecting mercy petitions of terrorists like Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab.A true workaholic, Pranab is said to have never taken a leave other than one day when he visited his ancestral home for offering prayers to his favorite, goddess Durga during the annual Durga Puja.Let's have a look at some interesting photographs of Pranab Mukherjee and his family:
