First Lady or First Gentleman of India is the unofficial title and position traditionally held by the wife or husband of the president of India during that person's term of office. There are no official roles or duties assigned to the spouse but he or she generally attends the official ceremonies and functions held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the president. The position of First Lady of India is currently held by Savita Kovind, wife of President Ram Nath Kovind. She assumed the position after her husband took the oath of office to the post of president on 25 July 2017. The role should not be confused with the spouse of the prime minister of India.
History
Rajvanshi Devi, wife of India's first president, was the country's first first lady from 1950 until 1962. Devi kept a very low profile during this era and did not attend public events with President Rajendra Prasad. Saraswati Bai, wife of the country's fourth president, V. V. Giri, was the first first lady to take a more public role. Bai's role marked a change from the lower profile of her predecessors. She attended and hosted public events and became a recognizable figure to the Indian public. Begum Abida Ahmed, India's first lady from 1974 to 1977, further expanded the public role of the first lady's position by organizing ceremonies and official functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. She was also the first among the first spouses to hold a public office, when she was Member of Parliament between 1980 and 1989. Usha Narayanan was the first first spouse of foreign origin. Before Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the first female president of India, the role of the wives of the president were to act as the chief hostess of the Bhavan. In 2007, the office room meant for the first lady went for some minor changes to accommodate the husband of Pratibha Patil, Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, the country's inaugural "first gentleman". Former first lady Suvra Mukherjee, the wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, died in office on 18 August 2015. The position of First Lady remained vacant for the remainder of President Mukherjee's term. The current first lady Savita Kovind has assumed the position since 2017.
Role
The role of a first spouse is largely ceremonial. The first spouse has no official duties, but he or she generally attends the official ceremonies and functions held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the president. Most of the first spouses have maintained a low profile.
Non-spouses in the role
In case of the absence of a spouse, another relative of the President may take up the role of host or hostess during official functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, this is not mandatory, and the role of hostess has been vacant during the tenure of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Zail Singh's daughter had served as hostess for some events. Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee served as hostess for some events, during her mother's illness.
