There is absolutely no doubt that Abdul Kalam has raised the profile of the Indian Presidency.  He has been an absolutely inspirational President.  It is true that except for Dr Rajendra Prasad, nobody has had a second term and may be it is somebody else's chance to be President.  I have nothing against Pratibha Patil but she pales into insignificance as a successor to President Kalam. This business of politicians hobnobbing to create a consensus candidate is such a farce.  How can they elect somebody who is not even in the mainstream consciousness of the country?  Economic Times introduced the candidate as Pratibha (who) Patil ... never heard of this lady before the announcement.  May be we would have put up with this before Kalam but it is so difficult to digest this now.

It looks like everybody feels the same way.  Most Indians would like a second term for President Kalam or a more inspirational person to be a successor to President Kalam.  Maybe Narayanamurthy.   This is a democracy - we should be able to make our views heard.  Let us write to our respective MPs.