Odisha erupts in joy as Droupadi Murmu takes oath as President

Special prayers were organised, sweets and country-made rice beer distributed and people danced to the tune of tribal music as ''daughter of Odisha'' Droupadi Murmu took oath as the 15th President of India on Monday.

The streets of Murmu's hometown Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district were deserted for some time as people were glued to television sets and big screens set up in the town to witness her oath-taking ceremony.

In her native Uparbeda village, local Santals from children to elderly danced on the streets to the beating of drums 'ghusa' and 'mardal' before offering special prayers to Lord Marangburu and Goddess Aera at 'Jaher' (place of worship).

Sweets were distributed and children planted trees to mark the occasion, said Manoranjan Murmu, headmaster of Government Upper Primary School in the village where the president studied till class 7.

Residents of the President's in-laws' Pahadpur village celebrated by dancing at a field amidst beating of drums, while a religious congregation was held at Murmu's maternal uncle's Jamada village.

''We celebrated the occasion by offering locally brewed rice beer 'handia' to our God and forefathers as per our custom, and also to the elderly on whose laps the President played while growing up,'' her maternal uncle Dasmath Marandi said.

In Rairangpur town, celebrations were galore as merry-making events were organised in the municipality area. Huge LED screens were installed to witness the swearing-in ceremony as children of Shri Aurobindo Integral School danced to celebrate the elevation of their former teacher to the position of President of the country.

Several events were also organised in district headquarters Baripada to mark the occasion.

In state capital Bhubaneswar, a mega celebration was organised at BJP state headquarters where women dressed in 'Jhal' saree of Santals danced to the tune of tribal music, while firecrackers were burst at a nearby temple.

A laddu weighing one quintal was prepared at a Laxminarayan temple in Aigina area by city-based Kuberpuri Byabasai Sangh, which was distributed among the poor.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)