BHUBANESWAR: President of India Droupadi Murmu’s first address to the people after taking oath of office had marked references to Odisha and its culture. She began her speech with ‘Sabhi ko Juhar’ (greetings in her local dialect) and reminisced about her tenure as a teacher at the Sri Aurobindo Integral School at Rairangpur.
The President said she had realised the meaning of life only through public service and quoted a line from Odia saint poet (Santha Kabi) Bhima Bhoi, ‘Mo Jeeban pachhe narke padi thau, jagato uddhar heu’. That means working for the welfare of the world is far greater than one’s own interests, she said.
Stating that she started the journey of her life from a small tribal village in Odisha, the President said from such background that she has come from, it was like a dream for her to get elementary education. “But despite many obstacles, my determination remained strong and I became the first daughter of my village to go to college,” she said.