Ramnath Kovind, who was elected the president of India as the nominee of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was sworn in today as the 14th head of state and called for preserving the diversity and unity of the country.

The 71-year-old former RSS member, who defeated opposition candidate Meira Kumar by a convincing margin in the July 17 presidential poll, was administered the oath by Chief Justice of India Justice JS Khehar at a function at the Central Hall of Parliament, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

Kovind became the second Dalit to be elected to the highest constitutional office.  KR Narayanan was the first who with Congress' support had held the country's highest office.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Vice-President Md Hamid Ansari, former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, Modi’s ministerial colleagues, top leaders from across the political spectrum and heads of diplomatic missions were among those who attended Kovind’s swearing-in function.

Prior to his swearing in, Kovind visited the memorial of  India’s Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat Accompanied by his wife Savita Kovind, Kovind then met his immediate predecessor Pranab Mukherjee and the two then proceeded to the Central Hall of Parliament.

A 21-gun salute was presented in honour of Kovind, a lawyer by training who practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years, who then delivered his first address as India’s President.

“I thank you for electing me to the responsibility of the President of India, and I enter this office with all humility,” he said.

“I bow to the 125 crore citizens of this great nation and promise to stay true to the trust they have bestowed on me,” he said adding “each one of us is a custodian of India’s well-being and of the legacy that we will pass on to coming generations.”

Kovind recalled his memories as a member of parliament and said that today “my old memories from central hall of Parliament has been refreshed. In this Central Hall, we have discussed many things. Often, we agreed and at times we did not. But we learnt to respect each other. That is the beauty of democracy.”

Kovind also recalled his very humble background pointing to his “long journey from a small mud-built hut in a small village” in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

“I grew up in a mud house, in a small village. My journey has been a long one, and yet this journey is hardly mine alone. It is so telling of our nation and our society also. For all its problems, it follows that basic mantra given to us in the Preamble to the Constitution – of ensuring Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and I will always continue to follow this basic mantra,” he said.

Kovind said those who fought for India’s freedom and frame the country’s constitution did not believe that simply political freedom was enough. For them, it was crucial to also achieve economic and social freedom for millions of our people, he added.

“We need to build an India that is an economic leader as well as a moral exemplar. For us, those two touchstones can never be separate. They are and must forever be linked,” he remarked.

The new President said the key to India’s success is its diversity. “Our diversity is the core that makes us so unique. In this land, we find a mix of states and regions, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different and yet so similar and united. “

“The India of the 21st century will be one that is in conformity with our ancient values as well as compliant with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There is no dichotomy there, no question of choice. We must combine tradition and technology, the wisdom of an age-old Bharat and the science of a contemporary India,” said the new President.

Kovind said India needed “to sculpt a robust, high growth economy, an educated, ethical and shared community, and an egalitarian society, as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Deen Dayal Upadhyay ji. These are integral to our sense of humanism. This is the India of our dreams, an India that will provide equality of opportunities. This will be the India of the 21st century.”

The President said India’s voice counts in today’s world and the entire planet is drawn to Indian culture and soft power.

After the nearly 30-minute ceremony, Kovind and Mukherjee left for the Rashtrapati Bhavan where the former president gave his successor a tour of his new address. From there, Mukherjee, 82, went to his new official home at Rajaji Marg where a freshly-painted British-era bungalow with sloping red-tiled roof and fitted with chimneys, wide lawns and gardens.