NEW DELHI, July 25: A united and strong India in peace and friendship with her neighbours: This is the vision of the country's new President, Kocheril Raman Narayanan.

Narayanan was sworn in as the country's 10th President this morning by Chief Justice of India J S Verma at a glittering function in the Central Hall of Parliament. The muffled sound of cannons reverberated through Parliament House as a 21-gun salute was fired immediately after Narayanan took the oath of office.

However, the dignity of the occasion was marred somewhat by Home Minister Indrajit Gupta and several MPs arriving late and angry shouts from Andhra MPs when Narayanan ommitted former president N Sanjeeva Reddy's name while paying tributes to his predecessors.

Delivering his speech in English (after he took his oath in halting Hindi), Narayanan urged political parties to sink their differences in order to devote undivided attention, for a time, to the development of the economy and the welfare of the people. ``Excessive obsession with the pursuit of pure politics has often overshadowed the social, economic and developmental needs of the people,'' he said.

Revealing his interest in foreign affairs (as befits a former career diplomat), Narayanan spoke not only of friendly relations with neighbouring countries but also of endeavouring to preserve and defend the Constitution ``including the provision that India will `promote international peace andsecurity'.''

He expressed concern at the alarming signs of ``the weakening of the moral and spiritual fibre in our public life with the evils of communalism, casteism, violence and corruption bedevilling our society''. The elders and the leaders in society have the responsibility of setting examples to our youth, he advised. Referring to the consensus among political parties that led to his elevation to the highest office in the land, Narayanan spoke of his humble origins -- ``someone who has sprung from the grassroots of our society and grown up in the dust and heat of this sacred land'' -- and said that his election was symbolic of the fact that the concerns of the common man have now moved to centrestage.

Political parties had risen above the barriers of religion, caste, language and region and reached out to the essential unity underlying this land. ``It is this larger significance of my election rather than any personal sense of honour that makes me rejoice on this occasion,'' he said.

In the 50th year of India's Independence, Narayanan said, the answer to the question ``Are things better for our people than before?'' was that tremendous progress had been made in all directions -- food self-sufficiency, education, health and the country had become a considerable economic and scientific-technological power in the world.

These substantial achievements had all taken place under the framework of democracy. ``India can take pride in its democracy which is not only the largest but the most vibrant in the world. It is also a democracy in which secularism, equal reverence of all religions and faiths, is enshrined in the Constitution,'' Narayanan said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.