Honorable Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu ji, dear Sharmistha ji, ladies and gentlemen. I deem it a great privilege to pay tribute to one of the greatest leaders of India our late Rashtrapati ji Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of the first annual Pranab Mukherjee Memorial Lecture organized by the Pranab Mukherjee Legacy Foundation to mark his first death anniversary. Before attaining the highest constitutional office of President of India, Shri Mukherjee had a long and illustrious political career spanning over five decades. He was one of the most distinguished leaders of the Congress Party. He held several important portfolios in several ministries of the government of India. To all the positions he occupied, he brought his immense wisdom, deep knowledge, extensive experience of public life and leadership skills spearheading critical decisions of the government on a wide rage of missions. During my tenure as Prime Minister of India, Shri Mukherjee was minister of defence, external affairs, and finance before being elevated to the august office of Rashtrapati ji. I worked very closely with Shri Mukherjee and I depended on him a great deal for his sagacious advice and guidance on various issues. On this important occasion I pay homage to the memory of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, our former Rashtrapati ji and a great son of India.