By Sujit Bhar
ON June 20, 1958, in the unknown and remote Odisha village of Uparbeda, north-west of the famous Similipal National Park and in the beautiful district of Mayurbhanj, a daughter was born to a Santhal family, headed by Biranchi Narayan Tudu. Tudu, a farmer, was the sarpanch of the village and the family led a somewhat quiet life, surviving tough days in one of the most underdeveloped areas of the country.
Her parents fondly named the girl Durga Tudu. She was a bright child and her father was determined to give her an education, despite his meagre means. As she attended the village school, a teacher renamed her Droupadi. The poverty the tribal family faced was back-breaking and each day was a struggle. Yet, she persevered and finished school, moving to Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state, securing a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rama Devi Women’s College.
Thus, she became the first woman from her village to not only complete school, but get a university education. That was the beginning of her journey to the top. Even then, nobody could dream that this little girl was destined to become the second woman president and the youngest one too. In an interview (in this edition), President Murmu herself said that even she had not dreamt of such heights.
Personal tragedies
While her journey to the top was electric, luck never kept pace. She suffered mind-bending personal tragedies and immense professional challenges. It was her immense fortitude and internal strength that carried her through.
Eager to help her family, she started to work as a junior assistant in the state irrigation department. That was before she started her political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and marrying Shyam Charan Murmu, a bank employee. They were a happy family and had three children–two sons and a daughter.
As her children grew, she started to work as a teacher, a role for which she has been lauded. She was also constantly involved in various social engagements, reflecting her natural empathy.
Then tragedy struck
In 2009, her 25-year-old son Lakshman passed away. This was a shock she took time to handle as she dived into the world of spirituality under Brahmakumari Nirmala, whose disciple she became.
However, fate had more in store for her as she was hit by another cruel bolt. A few years later, she lost her younger son, Shipun, in a road accident. Murmu wasn’t sure how much more of this punishment she could contain within her. Then she also lost her mother and brother within a month. If this wasn’t enough, a year later, her husband also passed away due to depression. She was left with her daughter, Itishree, who remains by her side still.
A long journey
Virtually alone, she resumed her life’s work, immersing herself in spirituality and community work. Those were dark times, difficult times, but Droupadi Murmu proved to be a lighthouse of hope to all in despair, never giving up even when all seemed lost. Along the way, her work as an assistant professor at Sri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Institute, Rairangpur, gave some financial stability and strength.
There was also strength in her social work and her association with the BJP, which she had joined in 1997. The first success in her political career came when she was elected councillor of the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat. In 2000, she rose to be the Chairperson of Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat.
She got national recognition when she became the National Vice-President of the BJP’s Scheduled Tribes Morcha. That was the time when the Biju Janata Dal and the BJP were in coalition in the state.
Government positions
She went from strength to strength holding many political, ministerial and other positions in the state administration. These include:
- MLA from Rairangpur Assembly Constituency (2000)
- Minister of State with Independent Charge for Commerce and Transportation (March 6, 2000, to August 6, 2000)
- Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (August 6, 2002, to May 16, 2004)
- Governor of Jharkhand (took oath on May 18, 2015), the first woman tribal leader from Odisha to be appointed thus.
Rise to the top
In June 2022, she was nominated as the NDA’s presidential candidate. During her presidential campaign, she visited various states, seeking support, which she received from almost every corner. These include the north-eastern states, her home state, the JMM Party of Jharkhand, the Shiv Sena of Maharashtra, the BSP of Uttar Pradesh, JD(S) of Karnataka and many others.
On July 25, 2022, she took oath as the 15th President of India.