New Indian President reveals, 'Droupadi not my original name'

Droupadi Murmu on Monday (July 25) took oath as India's 15th President to succeed Ram Nath Kovind. A historic day for the entire nation as she became the first tribal leader to become the head of state. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated her and hailed her assumption of office as a watershed moment for India, especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden.

As Murmu assumed office, a very interesting fact has come to light. She has revealed that Droupadi is not her original name. The name "Droupadi" is based on a character from the epic 'Mahabharata'.

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But the new Indian president revealed that the name Droupadi was given by her school teacher. During an interview with an Odia video magazine some time ago, she said that her Santhali name 'Puti' was changed to Droupadi.

"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.

During the interview, she claimed that the teachers in the tribal-dominated Mayurbanjh district used to travel from either Balasore or Cuttack in the 1960s.

"The teacher did not like my previous name and changed it for good," she said, further adding that her name was changed several times - from "Durpadi" to "Dorpdi".

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She also talked about how kids are named as the 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.

It is known that 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.

Even before being elected as the country's president, 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.

(With inputs from agencies)

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