LOFTY HEIGHTS

On June 22, Droupadi Murmu reached the Brahma Kumaris centre at Rairangpur in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. Inmates of the centre, including its in-charge, Brahma Kumari Supriya, were pleasantly surprised to see the presidential candidate of the BJP-led ruling alliance paying them a visit.

- LALIT PATTAJOSHI

The spiritually inclined Murmu, who could be the first tribal president of India, was at the centre to offer prayers and to meditate. The 64-year-old practices Rajyoga and meditation regularly. She became an ardent follower of the Brahma Kumaris sect after she was forced to deal with multiple personal tragedies. “Murmu remains just as simple as she used to be, despite the big announcement,” said Supriya. “We just celebrated her birthday a couple of days ago.”

Born on June 20, 1958 in a Santhali tribal family in Mayurbhanj’s Uparbeda village, Murmu has traversed a long path in life, with mixed experiences. Her father, Biranchi Narayan Tudu, was a farmer who had studied till class five. Her mother had never gone to school. With the help of her relatives, Murmu moved to Bhubaneswar as a child and completed her studies there. She finished her BA in 1979 from the Rama Devi Women’s College, which was upgraded into a university in 2015. Aparajita Chowdhury, the vice chancellor of the university, said it was a matter of great pride for the institution that Murmu could be the next president.