All about Nehru's tribal wife, Budhni Manjhiyain, who passed away in Jharkhand
Manjhiyain was ostracised by her tribe as then PM Nehru had garlanded her at a dam’s inauguration when she was a 16-year-old project worker.
Total Views | 76
A Santhali, named Budhni Manjhiyain, who is considered as the 'tribal wife of the Jawahar Lal Nehru' passed away four days ago at the age of 80.
The Santhali woman endured years of ostracism from her tribe. This isolation stemmed from an incident in 1959 when then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru garlanded her during the inauguration of the Panchet Dam, located near Dhanbad, when she was 16 and employed on the project.
The garlanding, intended as a mark of respect by Nehru, became a burden for Budhni as the Santhal tribals perceived it as a "marriage." Consequently, she faced social exclusion for "marrying outside her community, particularly a non-tribal," and was barred from entering her hamlet.
What exactly happened?
On 6 December of 1959, Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehrutravelled to Dhanbad in West Bengal to inaugurate a dam over the Damodar river, also known as the ‘sorrow of Bengal’.
Nehru had then insisted that a woman working on the project be a part of the inauguration and the Damodar Valley Corporation selected 15-year-old Budhni, along with Ravan Manjhi, a Santhali man, to welcome the PM.
Calls have emerged from Jharkhand advocating for the construction of a memorial for Budhni Manjhiyain, a Santhali woman referred to as "Nehru's tribal wife." She passed away at the age of 80, having faced social exclusion for years after being garlanded by then-Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/sfz4LTgDCv
— अनुराग 🇮🇳 (@VnsAnuTi) November 21, 2023
However, what happened next would remain with Budhni forever. In reciprocation of Budhni garlanding him, Nehru garlanded Budhni. He also insisted that the teen press the button at the power station to signal the start of operations. She was flanked by Nehru, which offended the tribal community.
When Budhni returned to her village that evening after all the fanfare, the village elders at Karbona told her that by garlanding the PM at the function she had in effect married him. Furthermore, since Nehru was not a Santhal, she was no longer a part of the community and was told to leave the village. The inflexibility of the community ensured that the excommunication was complete.
Left with no option, Budhni left her home behind and then took shelter in Panchet with the help of a Sudhir Dutta.
In 1962, Budhni, who was employed by Damodar Valley Corporation, was thrown out of her job and found herself helpless.
Related News
