A return to Room No. 11: President Droupadi Murmu’s emotional homecoming to Odisha Assembly

Room No. 11 in the Odisha Legislative Assembly — a compact chamber tucked away on the ground floor — became the emotional centre of state politics on November 27 when President Droupadi Murmu stepped inside after nearly two decades.

Before addressing the Assembly, President Murmu made a quiet, reflective stop at the room that once served as her office during her tenure as a minister in Odisha’s BJP–BJD coalition government in the early 2000s. The space, recently refurbished with new tiles, lamination, furniture and carpet, carried not grandeur but meaning — a place where a political journey once gathered momentum.

Inside the room, the President reunited with at least six former colleagues — legislators who had shared the early years of her political career. There were smiles, memories, and soft laughter as the past resurfaced.

“We discussed a lot of issues of the past. She appreciated me and said that she learnt a lot from me,” said senior BJD MLA Pramila Mallik, recalling the brief but warm interaction.

President Murmu also took a moment to speak with a long-serving member of the Assembly staff — someone who had once assisted her during her ministerial days, a gesture that drew quiet admiration from those present.

From a remote village to the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Born on June 20, 1958, in Uperbeda village of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, Murmu comes from a Santhali tribal family. Her journey began far from corridors of power — as a schoolteacher in a small town — before she entered public life through the 1997 civic polls.

Her rise was steady, marked by discipline and quiet perseverance. She entered the Assembly in 2000 after winning from the Rairangpur constituency on a BJP ticket and was soon inducted into Naveen Patnaik’s Council of Ministers. Murmu handled the Commerce and Transport portfolios, later taking charge of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development. She won her seat again in 2004 and, in 2007, earned the Pandit Nilakanth Das Best Legislator Award — a recognition of her commitment to legislative dignity.

A message to lawmakers

Addressing the House on Thursday, the President spoke not just as a visitor, but as someone who once sat among its members.

“Public representatives’ conduct and words should be such that, by following them, their admirers and followers can help build society and the state,” she said, offering a reminder rooted in experience, not ceremony.

For many, the visit was symbolic. For Murmu, it was personal — a quiet return to where her political journey deepened, shaped and prepared her for the role she now holds.

A small room. A powerful memory. And a reminder that leadership often rises from the humblest spaces.