President-elect Droupadi Murmu may wear a traditional Santhali saree when she takes the oath of office in Delhi on Monday.
Her sister-in-law Sukri Tudu is travelling to Delhi with a special saree used by Santhal women in Eastern India.
Ms. Sukri along with her husband Tarinisen Tudu on Saturday left for the national capital to witness the oath taking ceremony to be held at the Parliament's central hall.
“I am carrying a Santali traditional saree for Didi (elder sister) and pray she will wear it during the oath taking. I am not sure what she will actually wear on the occasion. The Rashtrapati Bhawan will decide the dress of the new president,” Ms. Sukri said.
The Santhali sarees have some stripe work on one end and is worn by the Santhal women on special occasions. The saree is vertically symmetric and has both the ends designed with the same motifs.
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Ms. Sukri, who along with her husband and family members, lives in Uparbeda village near Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, said she is also carrying traditional sweet pancakes, also called ‘Arisa Pitha’ for Ms. Murmu.
Only four family members to attend oath taking ceremony
Meanwhile, Ms. Murmu's daughter Itishree, a bank officer and her husband Ganesh Hembram, have reached New Delhi and are staying with the President elect.
“Only four members of the President-elect's family - brother, sister-in-law, daughter and son-in-law - will attend the oath taking ceremony,” said a senior BJP leader adding that essence of ‘adivasi’ culture and tradition could be reflected in the swearing in of the country’s 15th President .
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday left on a four day tour to the national capital during which he is scheduled to attend Murmu’s swearing in ceremony.
Apart from six BJP MLAs from Mayurbhanj district, three members of the Ishwariya Prajapati Brahmakumari’s Rairangpur branch- Brahma Kumari Supriya, Brahma Kumari Basanti and Brahma Kumar Govind, have also reached New Delhi and met Ms. Murmu during the day, sources said.
Meanwhile, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisweswar Tudu, party MPs Suresh Pujari, Basant Panda, Sangeeta kumara Singhdeo and her husband K.V. Singhdeo, met Ms. Murmu in New Delhi. They are expected to be present at the ceremony.
Coming from a humble tribal family of Uparbeda village near Rairangpur, 64-year-old Ms. Murmu has come a long way from a councillor to an MLA, a Minister and Jharkhand Governor to being elected President of India.
There were celebrations everywhere in the State as ladoos (sweetmeats) were distributed even on Saturday at the Bhubaneswar railway station.
