New Delhi: President Ram NathKovind on Sunday visited his native village in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where he interacted with old acquaintances. Speaking at the Jan AbhinandanSamaroh, the President delivered an emotional speech and said he had never imagined that an "ordinary boy like me" would hold the highest post of the nation. "I had never imagined even in my dreams that an ordinary boy like me from a village would get the privilege of discharging responsibilities of the highest office of the country. But our democratic system has made it possible," he said at Paraunkh village, situated in Kanpur Dehat district. He also thanked the people of the village for the same. "As far as I have reached today, the credit goes to the soil of this village and the love and blessings of all of you," he said at the gathering.

Upon arriving at his birthplace, President Kovind also bowed and touched the ground to pay obeisance in a rarely seen gesture. President Kovind also paid tributes to freedom fighters of the country and the drafting committee of the Constitution for their sacrifice and contribution.

President Kovind also said that the scent of the soil of the village and the memories of its residents has always remained etched in his heart. "For me, Paraunkh is not only a village, it is my 'maatri bhoomi' (motherland) from where I get inspiration to serve the country," he said at the gathering. "This inspiration has made me reach from the high court to the Supreme Court to the RajyaSabha. From the RajyaSabha, I moved to the Raj Bhavan and from there to the Rashtrapati Bhavan," the president said.