Vice President Hamid Ansari on Thursday released “President’s Lady,” a book on Suvra Mukherjee, the late wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, and presented its first copy to the President.

The book has been authored by Sangeeta Ghosh. The bilingual compilation in English and Bengali contains reminiscences of people who knew Suvra Mukherjee, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur, and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

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The volume reflects the remarkable personality, and the endearing and humane approach of Mukherjee shines through, the Vice-Presidentsaid.

The book is a befitting tribute to a wonderful and talented person, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Ansari said Mrs Mukherjee brought grace and dignity to the position of the first lady of the country and became the perfect foil for the President.

She was a patron and performer of music, a painter, a writer, a teacher, a mother and a soul companion to the person who now adorns the highest office in our land. “It is also fitting that the book is being released on this date, which marks the wedding anniversary of our President,” Ansari said.

Born in Jessore (now in Bangladesh), Suvra Mukherjee faced the uprooting that visited millions in the sub-continent as the Partition cut through not only the map, but also the social and cultural fabric of the land. She built a new life in Kolkata, with her love for academic pursuits resulting in degrees in History and Political Science, the Vice-President said.

As the First Lady, she brought her love of music to Rashtrapati Bhavan, with her harmonium and tanpura, gifted to her by the Bengali music maestro D L Roy, accompanying her. Mrs Mukherjee was a vocalist, an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet and performed in the poet's dance-dramas for many years in India, Europe, Asia and Africa. She was also responsible for setting up the ‘Geetanjali Troupe’, with the mission of showcasing Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy through song and dance.

The book recounts how in 2013, pushing aside protocol concerns, the First Lady sat with her troupe and sang her favourite numbers of Tagore on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti. She also authored two books ~ the first, ‘Chokher Aloey’ a personal account of her close interaction with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the second, ‘Chena Achenai Chin’, a travelogue recounting her visit to China.

Mukherjee was also a talented painter, with several exhibitions to her credit. In pursuit of this art, she drew inspiration from her mother, who was a critically acclaimed painter.

The Vice-President congratulated the author and her assistant Shayeree Ghosh, for bringing out the book.