‘Droupadi not my original name...,’ says new president:
Dressed in a white sari with a green-red border, Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India's 15th president on Monday. The first tribal leader to become head of state, Murmu revealed that his first name 'Droupadi' - based on a character from the epic 'Mahabharata' - was not his original name. In fact, the name 'Droupadi' was given to her by her school teacher.
In an interview with a video magazine, Odia Murmu said that her Santhal name was "Puti" and the teacher changed it to "Droupadi" "for good".
"Droupadi is not my original name. It was given to me by my teacher who is from a different district, not from my native Mayurbhanj," Murmu was quoted as saying by PTI.
Teachers in the tribal district of Mayurbanjh traveled from Balasore or Cuttack in the 1960s, he told the magazine.
"The teacher didn't like my previous name and changed it for good," Murmu said, adding that his name changed several times - from 'Durpadi' to 'Dorpdi' and other variations.
Names do not die in Santhal culture, Murmu said in an interview. "When a girl is born, she takes the name of her grandmother, while a son bears the nomenclature of his grandfather."
Droupadi Murmu also said that her surname was "Tudu" in schools and colleges and she started using the title "Murmu" after her marriage to Shyam Charan Tudu, a bank official.
Murmu took an oath in Hindi on Monday to "uphold, protect and defend the Constitution and laws". The solemn oath was characterized by magnificence and grandeur.
It began with the arrival of the two presidents - outgoing Ram Nath Kovind and incoming Droupadi Murma - in a procession from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament House. After a short ceremony, Murmu and Kovind were escorted out of the Central Hall to the beat of drums and blowing of trumpets.
He received a 21-gun volley and then signed the oath to loud applause and mud on the tables. Outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the new President inspected a three-member guard of honour.