Droupadi Murmu’s personal life is a story of resilience and ‘self-pride’. There was an unforgettable moment for her in 2009 when her 25-year-old son Lakshman died unexpectedly after attending a gathering in Bhubaneshwar. His death broke her. BK Supriya, In Charge of the Brahma Kumaris center in Rairangpaur, Odisha says, “She was completely shattered. She wasn’t having any life within her to even talk.”
In one of the talks on Brahma Kumari’s television programme, Droupadi Murmu herself narrated this event, “The tsunami came into my life in 2009. It was a huge jolt to me. I couldn’t hear anything for a few days. I slipped into depression. Log kehte the ye to mar jaegi (People thought I will not survive). But, no, I wanted to live.”
After two months, she visited BK Supriya in the Brahma Kumaris center, completed the Rajyoga Meditation course and learnt easy Rajyog. She recovered by changing her life. Since then, she gets up every day around 3.30 am and retires to bed by 9.30 pm. She does yoga and meditation unfailingly and is punctual as well. The spiritual bent of life not only survived her but stabilized her too.
But tragedy befell Murmu again when her younger son, Shipun, died in a road accident. When his body was brought home, she was broken completely, once again.
Rajesh Sharma, a local journalist who was present at her home, says, “She was crying uncontrollably. She broke down before her son’s body. She raised her hands to the sky, asking, ‘God, what more do you want from me? What is left now?’” The catastrophe came in droves.
In an indescribable series of events, her mother and a younger brother died within a month. And a year later, due to deep depression, her husband, Shyam Charan Murmu, died as well.
At that point, Droupadi Murmu told a TV anchor with pain in her voice: “When my second son died, the jolt was a little less than before because I was doing meditation. My husband wasn’t as strong as me, so he couldn’t survive.” She insisted on her only daughter, Itishree, to marry and lead a normal life. After the deaths of five family members, she turned to spirituality and vegetarianism. When she was the governor of Jharkhand (2015-2021), she made the kitchen completely vegetarian.
BK Supriya, Incharge of Brahma Kumaris center in Rairangpur, recalls the time in 2010 when Droupadi Murmu first came to her. It was immediately after the death of her elder son. She was completely broken and in depression. She used to cry often. Special care was taken of her for two months at the BK center. After getting spiritual knowledge and practicing Rajyoga, she collected herself. Daily practice of Rajyoga Meditation brought a positive transformation in her life. After that, life again tested her with misfortunes again. But with the power of her spirituality, she overcame them all.
She visited Mount Abu, the International headquarters of Brahma Kumaris, for five days and recharged herself with spiritual power. Then she started visiting every year. After becoming the Governor of Jharkhand in 2016, she visited Mount Abu for Convocation Ceremony of Value Education Conference and again for the 100th birthday celebration of Dadi Janki, Former Head of Brahma Kumaris. She keeps getting Rajyoga tips from Brahma Kumaris sisters even now.
Droupadi Murmu has donated her family’s land in Pahadpur for public causes. She runs the SLS residential school in memory of her husband and two sons. At the exact location, she has made samadhis(tombs) in their memory. It’s a heart-wrenching sight.
At the same time when you see tribal girls and boys getting free education and decent surroundings around samadhis, you can visualise carving out a beautiful future out of a deathly past.
Take a bow to Honorable Droupadi Murmu, the new President of India!
