Droupadi Murmu takes oath as 15th President; urges 'sabka saath, sabka kartavya' in maiden address

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, July 25

Sixty-four-year-old Droupadi Murmu on Monday took oath as the 15th President of India flagging “everyone’s efforts, everyone’s duties” (Sabka saath, sabka kartavya) as central tracks for building a self-reliant, glorious India.

Delivering her first address after being administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana in the Central Hall of Parliament here, Murmu said youth and women’s welfare would remain her top priorities in the highest office.

Describing her election as President as the “marker of new India’s strength where poor people can’t only dream but can also realise those dreams”, Murmu said, “My election as President is not an individual accomplishment. It is the accomplishment of all the poor and underprivileged people who can see their image in me.”

Murmu recalled her humble moorings in a small, tribal village of Odisha in Uperbeda where, she said, “even attaining primary education was a dream”.

The first woman from her village to attend college, Murmu said, “I began my life journey from a small tribal village of Odisha. It was a dream even to attain primary education. But I remained steadfast in my pledge to move on and was the first from my village to go to college. I come from the ST community. The fact that I have gone from being a ward councillor to President reflects the strength of Indian democracy which has made it possible for the daughter of a poor tribal home to reach the highest constitutional office of the country. This is not my individual accomplishment. It is every poor person’s accomplishment,” said Murmu flanked by former President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Murmu in her short emphatic speech traced the journey of India from the times of the freedom struggle and said, “I have been chosen at a time when India is marking ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Going ahead we will realise our goals walking on the path of two tracks, ‘Sabka saath, sabka kartavya’.

President Murmu also dwelt on the fact that India is leading the world in its quest for a sustainable planet and said ancient Indian traditions become important in the environmental conservation debate.

Speaking of her own past, she said she hailed from the tribal community which lived in harmony with nature. “I saw the importance of forests and water bodies very closely. We took from nature and also revered nature,” Murmu said.

Earlier, she thanked everyone for electing her and said their mandate reflected their faith in people’s aspirations.

“Growth and progress means marching ahead but awareness of the past is very important…,” Murmu said, adding that she had realised the importance of living only through public service.

Quoting a legendary Odiya poet, Murmu said working for the welfare of the world is far greater than one’s own interest. “Let’s unite and move forward in the line of duty to build a glorious and self-reliant India,” she urged the attending dignitaries that included former president Pratibha Patil, PM Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Union ministers seated in the front row in Parliament House.

The President noted that she is the first head of the Republic to be born in free India and said everyone must work with pace to meet the aspirations of freedom fighters.

Murmu also congratulated everyone on the eve of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.

About her own elevation, she said, “My election signals the courage of the youth who are embarking on a new path away from league. I want to assure youth and women especially that their welfare will be my top priority while working as President. Democratic and cultural traditions of India will remain my life force as I discharge my duties.”

Recalling the contributions of Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, BR Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandrashekar Azad to India’s freedom, Murmu said they taught us to keep the nation’s sovereignty on top as did Rani Laxmibai and Chinnima. 

Murmu also spoke of how the Santhal kranti, Kol and bheel kranti powered the freedom struggle and noted that a museum to highlight tribal contributions to the freedom struggle was now being built.

The President hailed India’s journey and how the country was leading in all fields.

“India’s courage in responding to covid has raised our profile in the world. We just crossed the milestone of 200 crore doses. The patience and courage Indians displayed during covid is a symbol of our rising strength and sensitivities. We not just cared for ourselves, we also helped other nations,” she said.

Murmu said the world was looking at India with high hopes as a new supply chain power.

She said the upcoming G20 discussions in India would determine the direction of the world’s further decades, adding that India is ready for industrial revolution 4, the digital revolution.