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Budhni Manjhiyain

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Budhni Manjhiyain, also known as Budhni Mejhan and called Nehru's tribal wife, was a woman from the Santhali tribe. She became famous and also gained infamy after as a 15-year-old she garlanded Jawaharlal Nehru during the inauguration of a dam. She was ostracized by her community.[1][2][3]

Background

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Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister, wanted a women working in Damodar Valley Corporation to be present during the inauguration in 1959 of the Panchet Dam over the Damodar river. Budhni Manjhiyain and the Santholi man Ravan Manjhii were selected to welcome him. Here she garlanded him and in reciprocation Nehru garlanded her. After the function, when she returned to her village Karbona she was told by the village elders that by garlanding Nehru she married him and as she married a non Santhali, she was banished by the Santhali elders and told to leave her village. She was sacked from Damodar Valley Corporation in 1962. She later worked as a daily-wager in Purulia. Her plight came to the notice of Rajiv Gandhi who meet her in 1985 and later she was reinstated to her job in Damodar Valley Corporation where she worked until her retirement in 2005. But she could never return to her village.[4][5][6][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ Angad, Abhishek (21 November 2023). "Nehru's 'tribal wife', who was ostracised by village for exchanging garlands with ex-PM, dies at 80". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  2. ^ Ashutosh, Anil (21 November 2023). "Ostracised for life, 'Nehru's tribal wife' passes away". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Who Was Budhni Mejhan? Know About Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tribal Wife' Who Passed Away At 80". Free Press Journal. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  4. ^ "The sad tale of Budhni Manjhiyain, Nehru's 'tribal wife', who died in exile". Firstpost. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Meet Budhni Manjhiyain: 'Nehru's Tribal Wife', Who Was Ostracised for Life". News18. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  6. ^ टीम, नवभारत गोल्ड (21 November 2023). "Nehru Tribal Wife: क्या पंडित नेहरू ने आदिवासी महिला बुधनी मंझियाइन से की थी शादी?". Navbharat Gold (in Hindi). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  7. ^ சி. அர்ச்சுணன், பிரேம் குமார் எஸ்.கே. (22 November 2023). "Budhni Manjhiyain, `Tribal wife' of Ex PM Nehru died, what story behind him". Vikatan (in Tamil). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  8. ^ "नेहरू को माला पहनाने की सज़ा भुगत रही महिला". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). 1 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2023.