Pratibha Patil turns 73 tomorrow

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will celebrate her 73rd birthday tomorrow.

Among those slated to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan to greet her are Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Her birthday will be marked by her visits to two non-governmental organisations working for the disadvantaged sections of people in the city.

Ms Patil will visit Nirmal Hriday, the home for dying destitutes run by the Missionaries of Charity, and Asha Kiran, home for the mentally challenged.

The birthday celebration will be a low-key affair, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said.

The President was born on December 19, 1934 in Nadgaon village of Jalgaon District, Maharashtra.

For Ms Patil, this will be her first birthday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. She assumed office as the 12th President of India on July 25 this year. She is the first woman to have been elected to the august office.

Her precedessor, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, had made it a point to be away from Rashtrapati Bhavan on his birthdays which he never celebrated.

UNI