Article by Shashi Thakur
As the 15th President of India, Draupadi Murmu took oath on July 25, 2022. She contested against the joint opposition’s nominee Yashwant Sinha. The Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana in the Central Hall of Parliament administered her oath for the top job of the Indian constitution.
From Rairangpur in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, Draupadi Murmu is a soft-spoken tribal leader who made her path into the politics of Odisha due to her determination. After winning the Presidential elections in 2022, Draupadi Murmu has become the second woman and the first tribal to hold the highest office.
Brief History of Life of President Draupadi Murmu
She was born to Biranchi Narayan Tudu, on June 20, 1958, in Uparbeda village of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha in a Santhali tribal family. Under the Panchayati Raj Systems, both her father and grandfather were village chiefs. Draupadi was married to Shyam Charan Murmu, a banker who passed away in 2014.
Before joining politics, Draupadi served as a clerk in the Odisha State Irrigation and Power Department from 1979 to 1983, and then as a teacher in Rairangpur until 1997.
Draupadi Murmu did her college studies at Ramadevi Women’s University. She started as a school teacher before joining state politics. Murmur also performed as an assistant professor at the Shri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Institute, Rairangpur, and as a Junior Assistant at the Irrigation department of the Government of Odisha.
Draupadi Murmu entered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1997 and was elected as the councilor of the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat. She became the Chairperson of Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat in 2000 and also administered as the National Vice-President of BJP Scheduled Tribes Morcha.
Before her presidency, Draupadi Murmu served as the ninth Governor of Jharkhand between 2015 to 2021. She was appointed as Governor of the Indian State (the first female tribal leader from Odisha). She also handled various portfolios in the cabinet of the Government of Odisha from 2000 to 2004. And she excelled in each of the government jobs.
Murmu has faced a lot of agony in her personal life. She is a survivor of child marriage and domestic abuse. Early on, she lost a daughter and then went on to have 2 sons and a daughter. Her sons too passed away in 2009 and 2011, and then in 2014 her husband also lost his life. Draupadi’s only existing child is daughter Itishri Murmu, living in Odisha.
After she lost her loved ones she went to Mount Abu to learn meditation. Draupadi is a devoted practitioner of meditation methods of the Brahma Kumaris, an orientation she adopted to fill the void in her life.
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Stepping Stones to Presidential Post – An Inspiration Smt Draupadi Murmu
From the teaching profession to serving in politics, Draupadi was seen to steadily rise the ranks from the Governor to now becoming the President of India. Celebrations are in full swing, from her home state in Odisha to all over the country.
Every politician and the common man is looking forward to resilient and dedicated social worker Draupadi Murmu doing an outstanding job as a President.
In her Presidential address, Draupadi Murmu thanked MPs and MLAs for electing her as the first tribal President of India. As the President of the world’s largest democracy in her first address, Draupadi Murmu said,
“I am the first President of the country who was born in Independent India. We will have to speed up our efforts to meet the expectations that our freedom fighters had with the citizens of Independent India.”
Draupadi Murmu’s story is an inspiration to emulate with and let’s hope her achievement inspires all Indians, irrespective of caste, creed, and gender.
(Images courtesy: Twitter)
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