What is India's president actually for?

What is India's president actually for?

Does the Indian president serve a purely ceremonial role? Is this a mere figurehead who, in the words of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is a "head that neither reigns nor governs", and holds a position of "authority or dignity" more than anything else?

Last month's election of Ram Nath Kovind as the republic's 14th president reignited the debate. In his inaugural speech, President Kovind, a former spokesman for the ruling BJP, promised citizens he would "stay true to the trust that they have bestowed me".

So do Indians need an assertive or pliant president? Should they be merely a titular head? Are Indian presidents mere "rubber stamps"? And what happens when the president acts in an assertive and/or partisan manner?
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