CM Himanta Wishes Former President Kovind on Birthday
Synopsis
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wished former President Ram Nath Kovind on his birthday, praising him as a beacon who defied all odds and recalling his meaningful engagement with Assam's Lachit Barphukan 400th birth anniversary celebrations.
Key Takeaways
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma extended birthday wishes to former President Ram Nath Kovind on 1 October 2026 .
Sarma described Kovind as 'a beacon of courage and dedication' who rose from modest beginnings to become India's 14th President .
The CM specifically recalled Kovind's 'keen interest' in the life and legacy of Lachit Barphukan when he presided over the general's 400th Birth Anniversary celebrations.
Sarma closed with blessings sought from Maa Kamakhya and Srimanta Sankardev , two pillars of Assamese spiritual culture.
Kovind served as President from 2017 to 2022 , previously serving as Governor of Bihar and a Rajya Sabha member.
A leader forged by sheer will, Ram Nath Kovind turns a year older today — and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma marked the occasion on Thursday, 1 October 2026 with a warm tribute that reached back to a defining moment in Assam's cultural memory.
In his post, CM Sarma described the former President as 'a beacon of courage and dedication' who 'defied all odds to become a successful lawyer, lawmaker and eventually the First Citizen of the country.' The tribute was personal as well as political — rooted in a specific shared moment rather than generic praise.
The Lachit Barphukan connection
Sarma singled out one memory above all: Kovind's role presiding over the 400th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Lachit Barphukan, the celebrated Ahom general revered across Assam for his resistance against Mughal forces. The Chief Minister wrote that he 'still remembers' Kovind's 'keen interest in the life and legacy' of the great Ahom ruler — a detail that resonates deeply in a state where Lachit Barphukan's legacy is both cultural bedrock and active political identity. That event was not merely ceremonial for Assam; it was a statement of civilisational pride, and having the nation's highest constitutional office-holder engage with it meaningfully left a lasting impression on the state's leadership.
A prayer rooted in Assam's spiritual heart
Sarma closed his tribute with an invocation of two of Assam's most revered spiritual figures — Maa Kamakhya, the presiding goddess of the ancient Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, and Srimanta Sankardev, the fifteenth-century saint-scholar who shaped Assamese culture and the Vaishnavite tradition of the region. Asking their blessings for Kovind's long life 'in the service of Maa Bharti' was a gesture that spoke directly to Assam's cultural idiom — placing a pan-Indian statesman inside a very Assamese frame of reverence.
Kovind, who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022, had previously served as the Governor of Bihar and was a member of the Rajya Sabha. His rise from a modest background in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh, through the Bar and into Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan, is a biography Sarma invokes pointedly — 'defied all odds' is a phrase that carries weight when spoken by a political leader about another.
Birthday tributes from sitting Chief Ministers to former Presidents are a routine fixture of Indian political life — but the best ones locate a real, specific detail that elevates them above protocol. Sarma's recall of the Lachit Barphukan anniversary does exactly that.
Point of View
Sarma reinforces his consistent project of elevating Assamese historical pride as a political and cultural currency. The invocation of Maa Kamakhya and Srimanta Sankardev deepens that framing, situating even a national statesman within Assam's own sacred geography. For a BJP leader who has made Assamese pride central to his governance narrative, the choice of detail is entirely intentional.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Ram Nath Kovind's birthday?
Ram Nath Kovind was born on 1 October , and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma extended wishes to him on this date in 2026.
Who is Ram Nath Kovind?
Ram Nath Kovind served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022 . He previously served as Governor of Bihar and was a member of the Rajya Sabha.
What is Lachit Barphukan's 400th birth anniversary?
The 400th Birth Anniversary of Lachit Barphukan , the celebrated 17th-century Ahom general, was a major cultural event in Assam. Former President Kovind presided over its celebrations, an act CM Sarma specifically recalled in his birthday tribute.
Why did Himanta Biswa Sarma mention Maa Kamakhya and Srimanta Sankardev?
CM Sarma invoked Maa Kamakhya — the presiding deity of Guwahati's ancient Kamakhya temple — and Srimanta Sankardev — the revered 15th-century Assamese saint-scholar — to seek blessings for Kovind, grounding his tribute in Assam's spiritual and cultural tradition.
What was Ram Nath Kovind's background before becoming President?
Kovind rose from modest origins in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh , building a career as a lawyer before entering Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member and later serving as Governor of Bihar before his election as President.
