Draupadi Murmu New President Of India
Who is Draupadi Murmu?
Life History of Draupadi Murmu – Parents and Home
Early Life of Draupadi Murmu – Education and Previous Occupation
Personal Life – Spouse and Children
Political Career of Draupadi Murmu
Achievements Of Draupadi Murmu
Conclusion
Who is Draupadi Murmu?
National Democratic Alliance candidate Draupadi Murmu was elected the 15th President of India on 21st July 2022, after the governing NDA revealed its nominee for the current presidential election. From being the first girl in her village to go to college for studies to becoming India’s first tribal president, Murmu’s journey has now become an inspiration for crores of people. With her win, she has inspired those women who come from the oppressed sections of society. Nearly 4800 members of the Parliament of India and legislative assembly cast their precious votes to elect the new President. The Bharatiya Janata Party member (BJP) Murmu secured a total of 676,803 electoral votes in 21 of 28 states and won the presidential polls by an overwhelming margin against the opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha.
64-year-old Draupadi Murmu is an Indian politician who belongs to the forest-dependent Santhal tribe of Odisha. Earlier she served the nation as the ninth governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. For the 2022 election, BJP nominated the former as the NDA presidential candidate in June. In July this year, she became the new President of India with massive support from regional parties in state assemblies. The tribal leader Murmu has also become the current nominal head of the commander-in-chief and the executive of the Indian Armed Forces. While the incumbent president Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure is ending on July 24, 2022, Murmu is likely to take oath on July 25 as the new President of India.
Life History of Draupadi Murmu – Parents and Home
On June 20, 1958, Draupadi Murmu was born in a tribal family in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. She spent her early life in her paternal grandfather’s house situated in a small village in the Mayurbhanj district named Uparbeda. Her father, Biranchi Narayan Tudu, was a farmer known by his given name and also a native of the Mayurbhanj area of Odisha. Later, both her father and grandfather were elected as the village council chiefs under the Panchayati Raj system. Murmu is the only girl child of her parents and has two brothers named Bhagat Tudu and Sarani Tudu. Because of coming from a downtrodden section, Murmu’s life journey had always been full of obstacles. At a very early age, she fought against all despotism and endured a string of personal losses. These personal tragedies and setbacks made her extremely strong to fight against all odds.
Early Life of Draupadi Murmu – Education and Previous Occupation
Murmu did her schooling at Unit II High School in Bhubaneswar. She was excellent in her studies since childhood and ranked well in every exam. After completing her 12th, she joined Rama Devi women’s College (Bhubaneswar) to complete her graduation in arts. She was the first girl from her village to go to college for studies. Being a tribal lady, Murmu experienced a lot of hardships while completing her higher studies. Despite coming from a backward area of this country, every member of her family was well-educated and open-minded. Her family had always been a great source of support for her throughout her struggling career.
Before entering politics, Murmu was associated with a variety of other occupations. She always wanted to become financially independent and take responsibility for her family. That’s why she started applying for various jobs soon after completing her education. In 1979, she got her first big employment as a junior assistant in the State irrigation and Power Department of Odisha. As a clerk, she served the Government of Odisha for four years and left the job in 1983. However, she managed to build a good reputation with her immense hard work even after working there for a short tenure.
She returned to her village to take care of her family, especially her mother-in-law. But she never wanted to sit at home. With great enthusiasm, she again started applying for local jobs that would allow her enough time to be with her family. She managed to secure a school teacher job within a short period. As a primary assistant teacher, she started working at Shri Aurobindo Integral School but refused to accept salaries. Murmu served the school as a public service and requested the school authority to pay only her transportation expenses. Later, she also worked as an assistant professor at the Shri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Institute in Rairangpur.
Personal Life – Spouse and Children
The new head of the nation Draupadi Murmu was married to Shyam Charan Murmu, a bank official by profession. She had two sons and a daughter from her marriage. Unfortunately, she lost her 25-year-old son Laxman Murmu in 2009. Her second son died in a devastating road accident in 2012 when she was just recovering from the tragic grief of her first son’s death. Two years later, Murmu experienced another tragic loss as her husband passed away, suffering from a major cardiac arrest. With her husband’s death, she lost the ultimate support system of her life. She was completely shattered and unable to process the personal loss. This situation adversely affected her psychological condition, and she suffered from major depression for many years after losing her husband and two sons within a span of four years. But she didn’t lose courage and started trying to live a healthy life.
Draupadi Murmu’s only daughter, Itishree Murmu, works at the Odisha branch of UCO Bank and is married to renowned rugby player Ganesh Hembram. The couple has a little daughter. However, Draupadi Murmu currently lives with her daughter Itishree. Murmu always wanted to build a school in the name of her deceased husband and children. Later, she decided to build a school in her village to provide the best learning experience to the village students. She even donated her in-laws’ four-acre land for the construction of the school. Draupadi Murmu was a great devotee of Lord Shiva since her childhood. Being deeply spiritual, she started practicing meditation techniques of the Brahma Kumaris to recover from the tragic losses of her life.
Political Career of Draupadi Murmu
The 15th president Draupadi Murmu’s political career started in 1997. In 1997, she entered the world of politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After becoming a member of the BJP, she won local polls and became the councilor of the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat (Odisha) in the same year. In 2000, she became the chairperson in the same constituency. She served the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat for one year. Later, she was elected as the national vice-president of the BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha.
The alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal happened in 2000. In the same year, Murmu became the first minister of state from the Rairangpur seat under the Government of Odisha. During her tenure, she worked in the Transportation and Commerce departments from March 2000 to August 2002. She also became the in-charge of Fisheries and Animal Resource Development and served the departments from August 2002 to 2004. She won the assembly elections in 2004 and was chosen to represent the BJP from the Rairangpur seat. She became the former minister of Odisha and MLA from the Rairangpur assembly constituency in 2004. She became the State President of the BJP Scheduled tribe Morcha in 2006. Later, she became the district president also and served the Mayurbhanj district till 2009.
On 18th May 2015, Draupadi Murmu was appointed as the ninth governor of Jharkhand state and served the government till May 2021. With her win, she became the first female tribal leader of Odisha as well as the first woman governor of Jharkhand. In 2017, Murmu was short-listed by BJP for the election of presidential position. But she was considered to have enough time on her side. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the candidature of Draupadi Murmu for the position of the President of India in June 2022. BJP nominated her as the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate. She became the 15th President of India on 21st July 2022 by securing the majority of votes.
Achievements Of Draupadi Murmu
The following are some of the significant achievements of new president Draupadi Murmu.
Before entering politics, she served the Government of Odisha as a junior assistant in the irrigation and power department.
She also worked as an honorable professor in the Shri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Institute, Rairangpur.
Murmu was facilitated with the Nilkantha Award for the best MLA by Odisha Legislative Assembly in 2007.
She took oath as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand on 9th May 2015.
She was also the first governor of Jharkhand who completed her five-year tenure and became eligible for re-election.
She also became the first female tribal leader from Odisha to be appointed the governor of an Indian state.
In 2017, Murmu came into the limelight as she refused to agree with a bill approved by the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. The bill was created to seek amendments to the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act 1908 and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act 1949. Later, she also sought an explanation from the Raghubar Das-led government regarding the changes in the bill and whether it would be used for the well-being of the tribal community. However, the bill was related to the grant of tribal rights that they can commercially use their lands without changing the ownership.
In June 2022, BJP nominated her as the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for the 2022 election.
After Pratibha Patil, Murmu has become the second woman to hold the highest political position in India.
Additionally, 64-year-old Murmu is the first president of this country to belong to a scheduled tribe.
With her win in the presidential election, Murmu has become the first president of India to be born after India gained independence.
She has become the youngest President of India at the age of 64 years and 46 days.
She has diverse experience handling various ministries, including fisheries, commerce, transportation, and animal resources, under the Odisha government.
Conclusion
The new president of this country, Draupadi Murmu, has devoted her entire life to empowering the poor and marginalized section of society. She has always been concerned about the well-being of her tribal community. With her work for the tribals, she successfully made a remarkable identity as a public representative among people. Similarly, Murmu’s contribution to spreading education awareness in tribal society cannot be ignored.
“The entire nation watched with pride as Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji took oath as the President of India. Her assuming the Presidency is a watershed moment for India, especially for the poor, marginalized and downtrodden. I wish her the very best for a fruitful Presidential tenure,” PM Narendra Modi has recently said on the occasion of Murmu becoming the new President of this country. With Murmu becoming the President of India, the country is expecting new heights in the development of the tribal communities. Her win will undoubtedly provide a new direction in women’s empowerment and help in setting a rich tribal community.
