Droupadi Murmu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Droupadi Murmu

• Droupadi Murmu is an Indian politician who was elected as the 15th President of India on 21 July 2022 and took oath as the President of India on 25 July 2022, becoming the youngest President and the first to be born after India’s independence. ^[9]The Economic Times

• When she was young, her father and grandfather were the village headmen.

• During the British era, Droupadi’s grandfather served as a tax collector, known as Pradhan. After his demise, her father took the same role. Due to her father’s position as Pradhan, she was also referred to as ‘Pradhan ki Beti’ (Pradhan’s daughter) in her village. ^[10]Mojo Story – YouTube

• In an interview, Droupadi explained that she was named ‘Durgi’ after her paternal grandmother on her birth. Within her family, she was lovingly called ‘Bati’ and and ‘Puti.’ Her school teacher, however, was not fond of the name ‘Durgi’ so he merged it with ‘Puti’ to give her the name Droupadi. ^[11]Mojo Story – YouTube

• She worked as a junior assistant at the irrigation department of Odisha from 1979 to 1983.

• She quit her government job in 1983 to look after her children.

• From 1994 to 1997, she worked as an assistant professor at Shri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Centre, Rajgangpur.

• She was the ninth governor of Jharkhand and served the position from 2015 to 2021.

• In 2003, she got a bridge built in her village Baldaposi so that the people in her village could commute easily.

• In 2009, she lost her son in an accident after which she suffered from depression. In 2013, she lost her second son, and in 2014, her husband died. In an interview, she talked about her struggles in life and said,
  

  I have witnessed many ups and downs in life. I have lost my two sons and my husband. I was completely devastated. But God has given me the strength to continue to serve the people.”

• In 2015, she became the first governor of Jharkhand to serve for a five-year term.

• In 2016, Pratyusha Banerjee‘s parents met Droupadi to request a CBI probe into the death of their daughter.

• In 2016, Murmu announced that she would donate her eyes after death to the Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital in Ranchi.

• On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in 2018, Brahmakumari Nirmala tied rakhi to Droupadi. In an interview, she said that she started following Brahmakumari Nirmala to fight depression after the death of her sons and husband.

  

• In 2021, she reviewed the academic and administrative functions of various universities through video conferencing.

  

• In 2022, she became the first tribal to be nominated for the post of President of India for the 2022 Indian Presidential Elections. After her name was announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote,
  

  Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji. Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country.”

• In an interview, she talked about being selected as a candidate for the 2022 Indian Presidential Elections, and said,
  

  I am surprised as well as delighted. As a tribal woman from remote Mayurbhanj district, I had not thought about becoming the candidate for the top post.”

• She was selected as a candidate from Jharkhand for the 2017 Indian Presidential Elections but, did not win the elections.

• In 2022, after she was elected as the candidate for Presidential elections, she was provided Z category security cover by armed CRPF personnel. She was also seen sweeping the floor at Shiv temple in Rairangpur.

• According to some reports, she was outspoken about tribal rights. In an interview, the party members talked about her and said,
  

  Her candidature is perfect, and she has always raised issues of the people. During her governorship, she often summoned the DGP or other senior officials whenever there were reports of atrocities on tribals or women.”

• She has all the awards and recognitions won by her in her ancestral house in Upbeda village.

  

• Reportedly, she had converted her in-laws’ house into a trust and donated it to a school. The trust was named ‘SLS,’ after her husband and sons’ names. The trust covers an area of more than four acres. She had also built a memorial for her husband and sons in the school.

  

• Some media houses refer to Droupadi as Draupadi Murmu. ^[12]Zee News

• On 21 July 2022, she was elected as the 15th president of India. She secured majority in the 2022 Presidential election defeating opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha with 676,803 electoral votes (64.03% of total) in 21 of the 28 states. 

• On 25 July 2022, President-elect Droupadi Murmu took oath of office of the highest constitutional post in India followed by a 21-gun salute. ^[13]The Hindu

  

• She got her new Voter ID card on 28 November 2023; the card was given to her by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi P. Krishnamurthy at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.