Who is India's new president?

Droupadi Murmu has been elected as India's 15th President. But what is so special about her? Here is the scoop.

Droupadi Murmu has an incredible story attached to her rise to power. Murmu, who is 64 years old, makes her India's youngest president and the only president born post-independence. Murmu is the second female to hold the highest post in the constitution and is the first president of tribal origin.

In the past, most presidents have come from higher castes and well-educated families. However, Murmu was born in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, one of India's tertiary districts. She was born into a "low-status" tribe, Santhal, amongst poverty.

Murmu, nonetheless, is one of a kind. She strived and became the first person in her village to gain a college education. And Murmu rose through the ranks of the Indian constitution to reach the highest point, becoming the president of the largest democracy in the world.

Her success is a milestone for all individuals who are born into tribal families.

India, in recent history, has been stripped of its "free" country status. However, Murmu's win has begun to blow the tide back in the right direction. In her Presidential oath, Murmu is seen to wear a traditional Santhali to display her tribal roots proudly.

We can say that this is a move for the BJP government to save face. We can argue that the BJP did it to counteract the negative and radicalised images connected with them. Those imageries are accurate; however, we cannot let those imageries overshadow the positivity spreading across the nation with Murmu's signing in.

Even though there are a lot of dirty-political concepts at play here, we can neglect them in this situation as the singing of a person from a "backwards" caste as a president is idealistic for the mass.

COVID has hurt the poor the most by seeing one in power. But, the signing of Murmu has uplifted the country's morale. Although this does not solve any tangible damage caused by COVID, it is actively giving people the will to strive.

Conclusively, be it a political move or not. Our new president definitely symbolises a great deal - and her entry into the office marks a victory of the Indian democratic system.