As President-elect Droupadi Murmu gears up for her oath-taking ceremony, excitement was rife among her relatives and supporters on the eve of the ceremony. The festivities planned are a tip of the hat to her tribal roots and her village in Odisha has planned a community feast to celebrate the historic occasion.
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Her brother Taranisen Tudu told HT his wife Sakramani is carrying a Jhal saree, a traditional Santhali saree designed with motifs of birds, fishes, flowers, leaves and animals for the President-elect.
“Santhali women wear these handwoven sarees on special occasions and I hope my sister would wear it tomorrow,” said Tudu. The family is also carrying along sweetmeats that Murmu likes.
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Apart from Tudu and Sakramani, Murmu’s daughter Itishree and son-in-law Ganesh are also scheduled also attend the oath-taking ceremony, along with some of her childhood friends.
Six tribal MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Mayurbhanj district and three members of the Ishwariya Prajapati Brahmakumari’s Rairangpur branch would also attend the ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}Six tribal MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Mayurbhanj district and three members of the Ishwariya Prajapati Brahmakumari’s Rairangpur branch would also attend the ceremony.
{{/usCountry}}Murmu had started practising Rajyoga at Brahmakumari institutions after the deaths of her husband and two sons.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who met Murmu on Sunday, said he came to wish her luck. “I am so pleased and honoured that a daughter of Odisha has been chosen as the President of India. I will be there for her oath-taking ceremony tomorrow,” he said.
Union railway ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisweswar Tudu, and the 7 other Lok Sabha MPs of the BJP would also be present at the ceremony.
In her native village of Uparbeda, villagers plan to spend the entire day on a feast. “The entire day would be spent on dancing and singing and having lunch together. We also have plans to put up a large TV screen so that people can see her taking the oath. Tomorrow is the best possible day for our village,” said Sunaram Hembram, a Santhali villager. Murmu studied in the upper primary school of Uparbeda between classes 1-7.
In Pahdapur, where she has set up a tribal residential school in the name of her deceased husband Shyam Charan and two sons Laxman and Sipun, villagers are also putting up a huge LED screen to watch the live telecast. “Our village is going to be famous and lots of developmental activities would be carried,” said Braja Mohan Murmu.