India scripted history today as a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President, these were the crux of the tweet message by the Prime Minister while congratulating Smt. Droupadi Murmu on her becoming the 15th President elect today.
Droupadi Murmu has many firsts on winning the Presidential election. She will be the first President born in Independent India. At 64, she will be the youngest occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
She is younger by a month to the sixth President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy who was 64 years and two months when he took office. On July 18, the day of the election, Murmu will be 64 years and one month; she was born on June 20, 1958.
She will be the first President born in a tribal family and the second woman to hold the First Citizen's office after Pratibha Patil.
Having worked in the Odisha irrigation department and then as an honorary teacher, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party 25 years ago, in 1997. She began her political career as a municipal councillor. Droupadi Murmu has been an MLA and a Minister. She had an excellent tenure as Jharkhand Governor.
Murmu has faced enormous personal tragedy and borne the loss of her husband and two sons. Her only daughter works at the UCO Bank in Bhubaneswar and is married to rugby player Ganesh Hembram.
The other President to be born in Odisha was V V Giri, a Telugu born in Behrampur.
While it was a master stroke by the Prime Minister that shattered the much hyped opposition parties unity move, the political situation has given a great opportunity to this country to have a tribal woman as its President. Her election to India's highest office will go a long way in recording the history of this country with the fact that a common man or woman from the lowest strata can also ascend to such a height. This is the beauty of the well rooted ethos of the democracy that India can boast of and feel proud of. The monopoly of elites and professional politicians that has been all along evolved in India is now over. Let us welcome the new chapter and celebrate India's democracy touching new heights.
