President Arrives In Odisha, Unveils Raghunath Murmu's Statue

BHUBANESWAR: President Droupadi Murmu, who reached Bhubaneswar on Tuesday as part of her 5-day visit to Odisha, unveiled a statue of Santhali writer Pandit Raghunath Murmu at Niladri Vihar in Bhubaneswar.

Amid tight security, the President visited ‘Adim Owar Jarpa Jaher’, a sacred place of worship for Santhal communities, and offered prayers.

A large number of people, especially belonging to Santhali community, gathered at Niladri Vihar to get a glimpse of the daughter of the soil. “We are glad to see the President. It is a proud moment for us. She interacted with us in Santhali language,” Somya Soren, a Santhali woman, said.

The President will on Wednesday morning leave for Puri and offer prayers at Jagannath Temple. After spending around 30 minutes in the temple, she will attend the 75th Foundation Day of Gopabandhu Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya in Puri.

At noon, she will have lunch at Raj Bhavan in Puri and attend the Navy Day celebrations at Blue Flag beach. She will return to Bhubaneswar on Thursday and attend the 40th convocation of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) at 11 am. She will also inaugurate the newly constructed Judicial Court Complex in Bhubaneswar around 5 pm on Thursday and return to Raj Bhavan.

On Friday morning, she will visit her home district Mayurbhanj to attend various events in Rairangpur and Uparbeda. She is scheduled to interact with students there.

Murmu will stay at her residence and on December 7 she will lay the foundation of various railway projects there.