The journey from Rairangpur to Raisina was far from easy. She was born into a tribal family in Uparabeda of Kusumi Block, a secluded village near Rairangpur, in Mayurbhanj, the
largest district of Odisha. Few could have imagined that this girl would one day reach Raisina Hill and reside in the President's House in New Delhi. She herself never foresaw it, nor did the parents who brought her into the world, nor even the primary school teacher who taught her first alphabet. Who among her family, her village, her district, or her state could have known that this forest-garlanded girl would grow beyond being merely the fragrance of Similipal? One day, she would rise beyond her state, occupy the highest seat of the nation, and leave her mark on the world. It sounds like a dream, almost a fairy tale, but it is true.
The highly esteemed Droupadi Murmu has dedicated herself to a spiritual path, patiently accepting the injustices of a cruel destiny and continuing to move forward with resilience. She has understood that life is a balance of gain and loss, and that it must be accepted with grace. Saluting her inspiring life journey, I hope that her biography will motivate and empower
countless women. ----Kabita Barik
Barik, Kabita: - Dr. Kabita Barik, a prominent novelist, short-story writer, and research scholar, was born on June 5, 1960, in Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district. She holds M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., and D.Lit. degrees in Odia language and literature. She began her career in journalism with the Odia daily Sambad and Dharitri. Later, she served as a supervisor at ICDS and subsequently retired as an Associate Professor from Maharaja Purna Chandra Autonomous College, Baripada. To date, she has published Eighteen collections of short stories, eight novels, and twenty research-oriented critical works. Ten of her selected short stories were translated into Bengali and published by the renowned Bangladesh, Dhaka publisher Annaya under the title Nisang Platform. Reflecting her strong feminist consciousness, her short story collection Swayamsiddha has been translated into Hindi. Her D.Lit. research work, Odia Sahityaku Mayurbhanj ra Daana, was published by North Odisha University. Another significant work, Odisha ra Sanskrutika Pattabhumire Mayurbhanj, was published by the Odisha Sahitya Academy. Several of her short stories have also been translated into Hindi, English, Bengali, and Marathi. In addition, the book Lekhikanka Nirbachita Galpa, edited by her, was published by National Book Trust, New Delhi. She also written Mayurbhanj History.
Biswal, Pravasini: - Pravasini Biswal, a research scholar, was born on March 2, 1993, in Nilgiri town of Balasore district. She holds an M.A. in English Literature, LL.B., B.T.S., and B.Ed., and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Linguistics and English Language Teaching (ELT). She began her academic career as an Assistant Professor at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, in the Department of Language and Literature. At present, she is serving as a Lecturer in English at Shailabala Women's Autonomous College, Cuttack. She has published several scholarly articles in reputed national and international journals. As the translator of this book, her academic background in linguistics, literature, and English language teaching lends depth, accuracy, and clarity to the translation.
