New Delhi: Former President and Bharat Ratna, Pranab Mukherjee passed away last evening after prolonged illness. He was 84. Mukherjee is survived by two sons and a daughter. His wife had died in 2015.

The Central Government has announced a seven-day State mourning from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 and the National Flag will fly at half-mast on buildings across India. He served as the 13th President of India from July 25, 2012 to 25 July 2017.

He was elected to Rajya Sabha five times and twice to Lok Sabha. In 2019, Pranab Mukherjee was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. 

Mukherjee was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on Aug. 10 and was operated the same day for removal of a clot in his brain. He later developed a lung infection and he breathed his last yesterday.

Fondly called ‘Pranab Da’ by his peers and friends, Mukherjee was born on Dec. 11, 1935 in Birbhum district, West Bengal. He completed Masters in Political Science and History and LLB degree from University of Calcutta.

It all started when Indira Gandhi spotted him during a by-election in Midnapore where he was V.K. Krishna Menon’s election agent. She brought Mukherjee into the Congress and initiated his Parliamentary journey through the Rajya Sabha in 1969. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee for 23 years. 

Mukherjee became India’s youngest Finance Minister in 1982 at the age of 47. From 2004, he went on to head three crucial Ministries — External Affairs, Defence and Finance — and became the first occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to have this distinction.

A tough taskmaster, avid reader and history aficionado, Mukherjee ensured that he leaves his mark on the Presidency. Mukherjee was known to have generously shared his experience with others, cutting across party lines.