On 25 July 2022, a 64-year-old Santhal tribal woman from a remote village in Odisha walked into Rashtrapati Bhavan and was sworn in as the 15th President of the Republic of India. Droupadi Murmu, the first person from an Adivasi tribal community to hold the highest office in India, is the daughter of a village headman who farmed his own modest piece of land in the Mayurbhanj district of northern Odisha. Behind every state ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan sits a deeply ordinary, deeply tragic, and deeply remarkable Santhal family story — a smallholder farmer father, three brothers, a banker husband who passed away in his fifties, two sons who both died young, and a sole surviving daughter who has carried the family's name forward.

The Family's Roots: The Santhal Community of Mayurbhanj

The Murmu family belongs to the Santhal community — one of the largest Adivasi tribal groups in eastern India, with populations spread across the states of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. The Santhals speak the Santali language (Ol Chiki script), have their own distinct cultural and spiritual traditions centred on Sarna Dharma, and have been a politically important Adivasi community since the Santhal rebellion of 1855 against British colonial taxation.

Droupadi was born in the village of Uparbeda, in Mayurbhanj district of northern Odisha, on 20 June 1958. Mayurbhanj is a heavily forested district at the foot of the Similipal hills, with a substantial Santhal population.

Her Father: Biranchi Narayan Tudu

Biranchi Narayan Tudu was the village headman of Uparbeda. Like most Santhal village headmen, he combined his customary role in village governance with smallholder farming and forest-product collection. He was the first member of the family to make sure his daughter completed her schooling — a decision that, in 1960s rural Santhal society, was deeply unusual for a girl.

Her Mother

Droupadi's mother passed away when she was young. The family has been deliberately private about the details of her name and life.

Her Siblings

Droupadi has three brothers — Bhagat Tudu, Sarani Tudu, and Tarini Tudu — all of whom have continued to live in Uparbeda and the surrounding villages, farming the family lands and engaging in local community work. They are widely respected in Mayurbhanj.

Her Husband: Shyam Charan Murmu

Shyam Charan Murmu was a banker with a regional bank in Odisha. He and Droupadi were married in the late 1970s through a family-arranged Santhal wedding. He passed away in 2014 of cardiac arrest, at a relatively young age.

The death came in the same period as the deaths of both her sons — leaving Droupadi, by the end of the decade, the head of a household that had lost almost all of its men.

Her Children: Two Sons Lost, One Daughter Remaining

Droupadi and Shyam Charan had three children — two sons and one daughter.

Tragically, both of her sons died young, in two separate incidents:

  • Laxman Murmu, the elder son, died in 2009 under sudden circumstances. He was 25.
  • Sipun Murmu, the younger son, died in a road accident in 2013. He was around 27.

The double loss, followed by her husband's death just months after Sipun, defined the central tragic chapter of Droupadi's life.

Her surviving child is her daughter:

Itishri Murmu, born around the early 1980s, is a banking professional working with a bank in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. She is married to Ganesh Hembrum, a rugby player and Sub-Inspector of Police with the Odisha Police, in October 2014.

Itishri and Ganesh have one daughter — a granddaughter who Droupadi is widely known to be very close to and who is a frequent visitor to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Murmu Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins

  • Santhal community of eastern India
  • Ancestral and current village: Uparbeda, Mayurbhanj district, Odisha

Parents

  • Father: Biranchi Narayan Tudu — village headman; smallholder farmer
  • Mother: predeceased Droupadi; family has kept her name private

Siblings (Droupadi has 3 brothers)

  • Bhagat Tudu
  • Sarani Tudu
  • Tarini Tudu

Droupadi Murmu

  • Born 20 June 1958, Uparbeda village, Mayurbhanj district, Odisha
  • Ramadevi Women's University, Bhubaneswar (BA Arts)
  • Schoolteacher in early career; clerk in the Odisha Irrigation and Power Department
  • BJP Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Transport, Odisha government (2000–2002)
  • Minister of State for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Odisha (2002–2004)
  • Governor of Jharkhand (May 2015 – July 2021) — first female and first tribal governor of the state
  • 15th President of the Republic of India from 25 July 2022

Husband: Shyam Charan Murmu

  • Banker
  • Died 2014

Children

  • Laxman Murmu (died 2009)
  • Sipun Murmu (died 2013, road accident)
  • Itishri Murmu — banking professional; surviving daughter
    • Husband: Ganesh Hembrum — Sub-Inspector, Odisha Police; rugby player
    • One daughter

The Path from Uparbeda to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Droupadi began her professional life as a schoolteacher at the Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre in Rairangpur, Odisha, in the mid-1990s. She entered electoral politics in 1997 as a councillor in Rairangpur, won a state assembly seat from Rairangpur in 2000, and served as a minister in the Odisha government under the BJD–BJP coalition.

She served as Governor of Jharkhand from May 2015 to July 2021, becoming the first woman and first tribal governor of the state. In July 2022, the BJP-led ruling coalition nominated her as the presidential candidate, and she was elected on 21 July 2022 — sworn in four days later.

She is the first person from any Indian tribal Adivasi community to be elected President of India, and the second woman to hold the office after Pratibha Patil (2007–2012).

What the Murmu Family Story Teaches Us

The Droupadi Murmu story is among the most affecting modern Indian family stories — a story of an Adivasi village daughter who lost a mother early, a husband mid-life, and two grown sons in the years that followed. Yet from that depth of personal loss, she built a public career that has carried her — first as schoolteacher, then as councillor, then as state minister, then as governor, and finally to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Murmu story carries the same lesson. The losses on a family tree are sometimes more numerous than the additions. The names of the children who did not live as long as their parents must still be written down — even when, especially when, the grief is fresh. They are still part of the family. Write them all down. The mother who came before. The husband who came after. The two sons who came in between. The daughter and granddaughter who remain. A family tree is the only honest record of who was actually there.

👉 Start building your family legacy today with Family Root App

📜 Disclaimer The family tree and biographical information provided in this article are based on publicly available sources and records including Wikipedia, Britannica, and verified news reports. While we strive for accuracy, we do not guarantee the completeness or authenticity of all data. This content is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It does not represent any political endorsement or commentary on the policies of any government or individual. If you believe any information is incorrect or wish to request edits or removal, please contact us at Info@familyrootapp.com.