Hyderabad:
President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening on a eight-day southern sojourn, his first after assuming office.
He will spend five days at the Rashtrapati Nilayam official retreat in Hyderabad and on the remaining days will fulfill various commitments in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha and several ministers and top officials welcomed Mukherjee at Begumpet Airport.
Mukherjee then drove to the Rashtrapati Nilayam at Bolarum in Secunderabad, spread over 90 acres, where president's stay at least once a year.
Mukherjee will fly to the temple town of Tirupati on Thursday to inaugurate the Fourth World Telugu Conference. He will also visit Tirumala temple before returning to the city the same day.
The next day, he will leave for Chennai and after attending few programmes return to Hyderabad. Mukherjee will undertake a two-day visit to Maharashtra on December 29 and 30.
The president will attend few programmes in Hyderabad Dec 31. His engagements in Hyderabad include P.V. Narasimha Rao memorial lecture.
He will spend the New Year along with his family members at Rashtrapati Nilayam and return to New Delhi on January 1.