President-elect Droupadi Murmu believes in simplicity and in being a giver, her teacher and friends said. She contributes to the happiness of those in need without seeking anything in return, they said.
Though people wonder at Murmu’s meteoric rise in politics from a councillor of Rairangpur Notified Area Council, to an MLA, a minister, a governor, and now set to take oath as President of the country on Monday, people associated with her since her childhood believe simplicity is the key to her success.
“And when it is coupled with politeness, confidence, and her habit of giving, the final product is certainly Droupadi Murmu,” they said. Giving up materialistic possession was an inherent quality in her, said Basudev Behera, her Upper Primary School teacher in Uperbeda village.
Citing an instance, the teacher recalled, “Droupadi’s father Biranch Tudu was ‘Pradhan’ (head) of Uperbeda village and the family struggled with poverty. She used to come to school in one frock and did not have an instrument box. The school provided her with the geometry box.”
The school had a small book bank from where students who could not afford to purchase books borrowed them, the teacher said. “Droupadi had also borrowed books from the bank. However, when she completed class 7 in our upper primary school, she not only returned the books which she had borrowed but also donated her books and notes to help others,” Behera said.
This apart, the school also did not have dusters for cleaning blackboards. Recalling her helping nature, the teacher said, “Droupadi used to supply handmade dusters for all the classrooms. She made those dusters from torn clothes.”
Her schoolmate Tanmayee Bisoi had another experience to share. “Droupadi hails from a very humble background, but no one can know when she is in trouble due to her nature. She will never demand anything from anyone. Whenever we friends used to assemble at one place, she distributed whatever food she had. She believes in giving and not taking from others.”
Low-profile Murmu is believed to be a keen practitioner of the meditation techniques of the Brahma Kumaris, a movement she embraced after she lost her husband, two sons, mother, and brother in just six years between 2009-2015, MLA Raj Kishore Das said. Her commitment to educating children of poor families was evident when she donated her in-laws' house and property to set up a school in memory of her late husband and two sons.
The SLS (Syam-Laxman-Sipun) Residential School at Pahadpur, Murmu’s in-laws' village, now offers education to 100 poor students, both boys and girls. “Madam (Murmu) used to visit the school at least twice a year even when she was the Jharkhand Governor,” said Janmajaya Giri, the headmaster of the institution.
Murmu has donated 3.20 acres of land for the school which provides education from classes 6-10, Giri said. The school is run by a trust headed by Murmu’s daughter Itishree, a banker in Bhubaneswar.
“She set up the high school because Murmu herself had to undergo a lot of problems after passing class 7 from her village school. She does not want other children to face similar difficulties,” the headmaster said. A resident of Pahadpur said Murmu’s endearing personality, who believes in simplicity and giving, has led to her success.
(With PTI Inputs)
