On September 11, President Droupadi Murmu will visit the Headquarters of Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual organisation she has been associated with since 2009, in Rajasthan’s Mount Abu, for the first time after taking over as India’s President.
She will address a session at the Global Summit 2022 the organisation is hosting from September 10-14. Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw will also be present. He will be accompanied by Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, several secretary-level IAS officers of Rajasthan and the Central government and a team of Brahma Kumaris from London.
BK Ratna, who has been associated with the organisation for 48 years, said Murmu last visited the headquarters around five or six years back. “We did not exchange many words but a simple Om Shanti [greetings]. She seemed so grounded..she ate lunch with everyone in the common dining hall.”
RS Singh, who has been associated with Brahma Kumaris for 55 years, said Murmu came to the organisation when she felt lost. “She was searching for something within and she found it here.”
Before becoming the President of the country, Draupadi Murmu used to go with her three sisters to serve at Brahma Kumaris center in Rairangpur, Odisha. BK Leena, a close associate of hers, says that, she used to work from serving food to cleaning utensils. Her association with this remote village lasted from 2009 to 2013. Even after becoming an MLA, Draupadi Murmu was committed to serving the people there.
She joined Brahma Kumaris after she lost her husband and two sons. A person associated with the organisation said she came to them when she was in a bad shape. “This place helped her find her place in the world.” Murmu organised camps and events in remote tribal villages to spread the philosophy of Brahma Kumaris, the person added.
Murmu is also likely to visit the Brahma Kumaris centre in Odisha, where she has donated two homes to Brahma Kumaris.
She is among prominent political, religious, and industry leaders, who have been associated with the Brahma Kumaris, the organisation which has its presence in over 140 countries.