Tag : Original

New Delhi: The first tribal President of India's name Droupadi, based on a character of the epic Mahabharata was given by her school teacher. In an interview with an Odia video magazine some time ago, she revealed that her Santhali name 'Puti' was changed to Droupadi by a teacher in school. 'Droupadi was not my original name. It was given by my teacher who hailed from another district, not from my native Mayurbhanj,' Murmu told the magazine. Teachers in the tribal-dominated Mayurbanjh district used to travel from either Balasore or Cuttack in the 1960s, she claimed. 'The teacher did not like my previous name and changed it for good,' she said when the magazine asked why she is called Droupadi, a name similar to the Mahabharata character. She had also mentioned that her name was changed several times -- from 'Durpadi' to 'Dorpdi'. She stated that names do not die in Santhali culture. 'If a girl is born, she takes the name of her grandmother, while a son carries grandfather's nomenclature,' she said. Droupadi, who had the surname of Tudu in schools and colleges, started using the title Murmu after she married Shyam Charan Tudu, a bank officer. Murmu on Monday took oath as the 15th President of India. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered her oath at a ceremony held at Parliament's Central Hall. Much before getting elected to the country's highest Constitutional post, Murmu had made her views clear on the reservation for women in politics. 'There must be reservation for women in politics dominated by men. The political parties can change this situation as they choose candidates and distribute tickets to contest elections,' she told the magazine. Murmu, however, said women should focus on 'qualitative politics' and ra ...