Page 24 - NIS English 16-31 Aug 2022

Cover Story Newly Elected President
aharpur is a small village in the Rairangpur
town of Mayurbhanj, Odisha. There is a
school about two and a half kilometres
Pfrom here—Shyam, Laxman, Shipun Upper
Primary Residential School. There used to be a
house here. At that time, there were no solid walls
nor concrete roofs-just a thatched house with
a small bamboo door. But three strange things
happened in this house. Between 2010 and 2014,
she was deeply shaken by the deaths of two sons
and her husband, all within four years. But because
silence never gripped this house, she donated it to
a residential school. In memory of her husband and
two sons, a residential school was built there, where
about 75 students are now studying. There are
statues of her both sons and husband in the school
where she visits on their death anniversaries. She
was unable to recover from the shock of her eldest
son's death for six months. But, with the help of
spirituality, she was able to keep herself engaged
in societal work. She always arrived on time at the
Brahmakumari Sansthan in Rairangpur. She used
to go there on a regular basis before becoming
the Governor of Jharkhand. However, even after
becoming Governor, she continued to meditate,
22 New India Samachar August 16-31, 2022
which is a major reason for her mental strength.
Waking up early in the morning and walking,
making yoga a part of the regular lifestyle, is the
specialty of President Droupadi Murmu.
Droupadi Murmu has been determined since
childhood. Basudev Behera, the teacher who
taught her, says that she was the topper in her
class and always scored the highest. The rule back
then was that only those with the highest number
could be class monitors. However, because there
were fewer girls in her class, the teacher was
concerned about how she would manage the entire
class. But Droupadi Murmu did not agree, and she
became the monitor of the class. Droupadi went
to Bhubaneshwar for studies after the seventh
grade, according to Behera. She was the only girl
who travelled from her village of Uparbeda to
Bhubaneshwar to study.
Since childhood, Droupadi has been focused
and determined. During the school days, it rained
heavily. Water flowed everywhere, and neither the
teachers nor the students came to school. Droupadi
then arrived at school. Even after having swum in
the river. And then , teacher Behera predicted that
Droupadi would one day become a teacher.