Casting Choice

government, overseeing science and technology. Five, he has been vice-president and therefore the chairman of the Rajya Sabha for the last five years. Six, he is a decent man of character and integrity, and universally liked. It would be difficult to find another such person with such varied accomplishments and familiarity with so many fields. And yet, it is said, he has been chosen because he belongs to the Ezhava community, which is a Dalit caste from Kerala. In the end, after 50 years of independence and a life devoted to public service, he is seen as a scheduled caste.

 

So what has his life been all about? To be sure, there is a symbolic value to a Dalit becoming the head of state, but surely it is no more than that. If at the end of the long journey Mr Narayanan has been unable to shed his caste label, what have the last 50 years, not to mention Gandhis incessant struggle, achieved? Contrast this with Zakir Hussain and S Radhakrishnan, who were made presidents in their own right and not because they were Muslim or Brahmin, and you begin to get an idea of how norms have deteriorated rather than improved.

Happily for the country, Mr Narayanan is well suited for the job. This is because to him will fall the unenviable task of handling the many tricky political situations that will be created in an era of coalition politics. S D Sharma has been, in that respect, lucky. He had only one fractured verdict to disentangle. Mr Narayanan, on the other hand, may have to do so on at least two occasions. This means setting new precedents and perhaps even interpreting the Constitution in innovative ways. By nature a cautious man, Mr Narayanan is unlikely to embark on presidential adventurism. In view of the problems that lie ahead, that perhaps is another great qualification.