A single “performance” on the national stage hardly suffices to establish credentials. And with all due respect to India’s 14th President, Ram Nath Kovind, he was little known outside government circles in Bihar until the BJP chose him to succeed Pranab Mukherjee.

Though he has been only briefly in the limelight he has created an impression of being adequately equipped to step up to the plate, hopefully to eventually earn the right to have his name bracketed with Rajendra Prasad, S. Radhakrishnan, APJ Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee ~ four predecessors he mentioned at his inauguration. It was more than the comprehensive nature of his opening offering that impressed ~ possibly crafted by a competent speech-writer ~ but the dignity with which he conducted himself when the eyes of the nation had him under critical focus.

First impressions tend to have enduing impact, President Kovind has elevated the hopes of the nation that its new Head of State will exhibit the qualities demanded by the Founding Fathers when the Republic was proclaimed. Inevitably will Kovind’s opening speech be analysed threadbare, maybe too much read between the lines.

Those who apprehend the demand for a Hindu Rashtra acquiring added momentum would discern that the official Englishlanguage translation did not use the term “secular”, note that Kovind appended Vande Mataram to the customary Jai Hind finale. And that he lauded Deen Dayal Upadhyay ~, which given his political orientation was only to be expected. Yet while he also evaded words like “pluralism”, “intolerance” and “inclusiveness” that had been highly-favoured by his predecessor (preferring “diversity”), he did make much the same points.

Reference to humble origins struck a chord, so too his recognising the armed forces, police, farmers, teachers and public servants as major participants in the task of nation-building. A task which he insisted devolved upon every citizen, not just the government. By creating such an inspirational impression for himself, Kovind has simultaneously scripted his own work-order.

Primarily he will be required to drape a cloak of sensitive, genteel governance on an administration that appears to have allowed electoral success to “go to its head”, confused strength with stridency and ~ much as Narendra Modi & Co. might deny it ~ allowed a degree of authoritarianism to impact its functioning. With “vigilantes” running amuck, Dalits and minorities fearing their future, the nation is sorely in need of a healing touch (even “Nagpur” would concede that there has to be a Lakshman Rekha to confrontationistposturing) and the new occupant of Rashtrapati Bhawan will be ideally placed to provide that touch.

In recent days the Prime Minister has shown signs of mellowing down; Kovind must orchestrate the overture to a melody that could allure when the EVMs are again deployed to “score” the next Indian classic.