From Paraunkh to Raisina: Ram Nath Kovind's journey to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Paraunkh is the ancestral home of Ram Nath Kovind, who will on July 25 become India's 14th president. Residents of Paranukh remember Kovind and his humble background. 74-yr-old Sitaram remembers studying with a five-year-old Ramnath at the village school. "He came from an impoverished background, he couldn't even afford 6 annas as fees for the school," Sitaram recalls.

His then neighbor Abdul Khan adds, "Hhis mother used to run a small shop selling tobacco, one day there was a fire in the village and a 10-year-old Ramnath saw his mother being burnt alive in the blaze".

As a Rajya Sabha MP Ramn Nath Kovind donated his tiny ancestral house to the village. Later he used the funds allotted to him to build a road connecting the village to the highway.  

Villagers in Paraunkh, especially from the village's Dalit Basti area, hope that Kovind does more for them. "We are hoping he will do more for us, he is a Dalit. He represents us now," says Amit Kumar from the Dalit Basti.