Meet Droupadi Murmu, President of India
Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as the 15th President of India on 25 July, 2022. Previously, she was the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. She has devoted her life to empowering the downtrodden and the marginalised sections and deepening the democratic values.
As the President, Droupadi Murmu is required by the constitution to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. She is the first citizen of India and serves as a symbol of solidarity, unity, and integrity of the nation.
She has the power to appoint various high-ranking officials, including the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, and Governors of states, among others. These appointments are made on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
Born in a Santhali tribal family on 20 June, 1958 at Uparbeda village, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, Murmu’s early life was marked by hardships and struggle. On completion of primary education from the village school, she went to Bhubaneswar on her own initiative to continue her studies.
She earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Ramadevi Women’s College, Bhubaneswar and became the first woman from her village to receive college education.
From 1979 to 1983, Murmu served as a Junior Assistant in the Irrigation and Power Department, Government of Odisha. Later, she served as an honorary teacher at Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur, from 1994 to 1997.
In 2000, Murmu was elected from the Rairangpur constituency as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Odisha and continued to hold the post till 2009, serving two terms.
During this period, she served as Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Commerce and Transport in the Government of Odisha from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002 and as Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Government of Odisha from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004. In both assignments, she introduced innovative initiatives and people-oriented measures.
She was also appointed a Member of various Committees including House Committees and Standing Committees of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. She also chaired some of the Committees.
With her rich administrative experience and thanks to her efforts to spread education in tribal societies, she carved a special identity for herself. For her services as a legislator, she was awarded the Pandit Nilkanth Das – Best Legislator Award in 2007 by the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Murmu was appointed the Governor of Jharkhand on 18 May, 2015. She was the first woman tribal Governor of a tribal-majority State, and she received wide appreciation for upholding the values of the Constitution and supporting the rights of the tribal communities. She introduced reforms in examination and recruitment processes of the State Universities.
She earned respect from leaders of all political parties for her statesmanship and adherence to democratic ethos. Murmu was associated with several tribal socio-educational and cultural organisations of Odisha. She is an avid reader and has keen interest in spirituality.
In 1981, Murmu married (late) Shyam Charan Murmu , who was an officer in a bank. She has a daughter, Itishree Murmu, and son-in-law, Shri Ganesh Hembram (who is a rugby player).
As President of India, Droupadi Murmu has travelled widely across the country. She has also travelled abroad to enhance India’s global outreach and footprint. She visited United Kingdom in 2022, and went on State Visits to Suriname and Serbia in 2023.
President Droupadi Murmu became the first Indian to receive Suriname’s highest distinction, “Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star” and she dedicated this honor to the successive generations of the Indian-Surinamese community.
Abeeb Lekan Sodiq is a Managing Editor & Writer at theafricandream.net. He is as well a Graphics Designer and also known as Arakunrin Lekan.
