On Friday, President Droupadi Murmu broke down in tears when she sat on the bed she used to sleep on while attending Unit-II Government Girl’s High School in Bhubaneswar in the 1970s.
On the second day of her trip to Odisha, President Murmu paid a visit to her alma institution and the Kuntala Kumari Sabat Adivasi Hostel, where she formerly lodged while attending school.
She also got to know 13 of her classmates and showed her joy at being among them and other students from her school and teachers.
The President began the day by touring the city’s Khandagiri neighborhood’s Tapabana High School. She recalled her school days by saying: “I started my education in my Uparbeda hometown. No schoolhouse existed; instead, we studied in a thatched home.
Describing the current generation of pupils as “‘We used to sweep classrooms and clean the school grounds with cow dung,’ the President said. In our time, pupils were free to think while they studied. Please put in a lot of effort and focus on your coursework. President Murmu stated in a conversation with female students.
“There were no such things as the internet, television, or other ways to learn about the outside world during our time. I do not have any exterior role models as a result. My granny served as my example. I have observed her helping others in the past, especially local ladies. My grandmother had a powerful mind, and I gained a lot of life lessons from her, “added the President.
The students at President Murmu’s former school, where she attended from class 8 to 11, welcomed her. She waved at the crowds of people waiting outside the campus for a glimpse of her since the morning as she approached the school grounds.
She also went to the Kuntala Kumari Sabat Hostel, where she had resided while pursuing her education at the government-run institution.
The President became emotional and sat on the same bed for a while after we saw her room and the cot she used to sleep on while a student, according to a female teacher.
The President also planted a sapling on the grounds of the Kuntala Kumari Sabat Hostel, where she resided for four years from 1970 to 1974.
Later, after inviting them to the school, President Murmu visited her classmates.
“The invitation from the Indian President to visit us came at a particular time in our lives. Our happiness at meeting the nation’s first citizen, a classmate of ours in school, is beyond words, “stated President Murmu’s former classmate and retired college teacher Chinmayee Mohanty.
Asked about her other hostel roommates by, President Murmu: “Chuni is where? Chuni, a buddy of Murmu, was incidentally not present.
“We are pretty happy to have such a wonderful friend. Even as the President drew near us, we could not speak much. She took a picture of us, “explained Mohanty.
The Indian President posted on Twitter: “My visit to my alma school Government Girls High School and Kuntalakumari Sabat Adivasi Girls Hostel in Bhubaneswar brought back fond memories. The visit brought back many beautiful memories from my time in school “.
President Murmu also expressed her happiness at discovering a sand sculpture of herself made on the grounds of her school.
