A history in making- the journey of Draupadi Murmu from Mayurbhanj to the Rashtrapati Bhawan

Shaped by extreme hardships and fierce determination, Draupadi Murmu, a poor Adivasi woman from the Santhal tribe in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, is all set to become the first tribal president of India, the most honourable political position in the country.

Draupadi Murmu. The first Adivasi president of India. Image Source: News 9 Live

The history of scheduled tribes, primarily the Adivasis, is one that needs no briefing. Centuries of neglect, ignorance and isolation from the mainstream society has been a crucial factor in the deplorable and stagnant condition of the Adivasis. But beginning with the year 2022, the sad history of Adivasis is all set to be rewritten with bright, colourful words, courtesy of Draupadi Murmu, the first Adivasi and the second woman to assume the esteemed presidential position of India. What is the background of this woman who’s name and story would fill the pages of our history books in future?

Hailing from the forest dependent Santhal tribe in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, Draupadi Murmu, had never expected to join politics, let alone run for the presidential elections. As a poor Adivasi woman with a strong aspiration to financially support her family, Murmu only wished to get a regular job by studying hard. She received her primary education till seventh standard from a local school in her village, Upardiha and later went on to study in the Rama Devi College in the main city of Bhubaneshwar.

Between 1973 and 1983, she worked as a junior assistant in the State irrigation and Department from 1979 to 1983 and later, as a teacher at Sri Aurobindo Integral Centre at Rairangpur till 1997. Throughout this period, her interest and participation in local social work also continued to grow, which helped her make a distinct identity out of herself. Her local fame got her into Odisha politics in the year 1997 and after that, there was no going back for her. She was first elected as the councillor of Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat in 1997, and later as the MLA of Rairangpur on a BJP ticket, twice between the years 2000 and 2009. For her political work, Murmu was also honoured with the Nilakantha Award for being the best MLA of 2007, by the legislative assembly of Odisha. Her political career reached further heights when she became the first woman governor of Jharkhand in the year 2015.

As the governor of Jharkhand, one of her most memorable works was the return of two controversial bills- the Chhotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, through which the state sought to reduce the exclusive rights of the tribes over their lands.

In 2017, she was considered as a potential presidential candidate after the term of Pranab Mukherjee was over, however the post eventually went over to Ram Nath Kovind.

However, fate is not so unkind to Draupadi as she is destined to become the 15th president of the country as of 2022.

This long journey of Draupadi Murmu from poverty to the Rashtrapati Bhawan has not been even remotely easy. As a woman and a member of the marginalized community, she had to overcome struggles on two levels. Moreover, while her professional career flourished as the years went by, her personal life suffered a sad trajectory. She lost her two sons and later, her husband, Shyam Charan Singh, in a brief period of time. Despite this heavy loss, Draupadi remained firm in her resolve, and refused to give in to the overwhelming sadness and heartbreak.

The struggles and achievements of Drapuadi Murmu give hope to millions of women, both from the mainstream and tribal society to move beyond societal pressures and limitations and make a distinct name for themselves.