Tulasi Munda (born 15 July 1947) is a social activist from the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

. She was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

in 2001 by

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

for her contribution to spreading literacy among the impoverished ''

adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...

'' peoples of Odisha. Munda started an informal school in 1964 in Odisha's iron ore mining area to educate children from local ''adivasi'' populations, who would otherwise have ended up as

child labour Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

in the mines. She had been a child labourer in the mines of

Keonjhar Kendujhar is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha. Climate Politics Mohan char ...

herself. Munda is illiterate and has no formal education. She belongs to the Munda

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

group of ''adivasis'', the collective term in mainland South Asia for

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. She is popularly known as " Tulasi Apa", literally meaning "Sister Tulasi" in

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

Early life

Munda was born on 15 July 1947 in Kainshi village located in the present-day Keonjhar district in Odisha. Keonjhar is one of the most economically underdeveloped districts in Odisha. As a child, she wished to study but the idea of educating girls and women was largely socially unacceptable at the time.

Child labour Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

, poverty and

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

prevented indigenous children from getting an education. When she was 12, she went to Serenda village to live with her sister. There she worked in the mines.

Activism

In 1961, Munda met social reformers

Ramadevi Choudhury Ramadevi Choudhury( or, ରମାଦେବୀ ଚୌଧୁରୀ) (3 December 1899 – 22 July 1985), also known as Rama Devi, was an Indian freedom fighter and a social reformer. She was called Maa (Mother) by the people of Odisha. The Ramad ...

Nirmala Deshpande Nirmala Deshpande (17 October 1929 – 1 May 2008) was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhi and philosophy. She devoted her adult life to the promotion of communal harmony and service to women, tribal people, and the disposses ...

and Malati Choudhury who advocated for education for women. She joined their efforts happening in different parts of the country. Munda also met Acharya

Vinoba Bhave Vinayak Narahari, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Sanskrit teacher), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He is cons ...

when he visited

in 1963 during the

Bhoodan movement The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. It was initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village, Pochampally The Bhoodan movement attempted ...

. Her social service training and the guidance of social reformers inspired her future efforts. She returned to Serenda in 1964 and started an informal school for children in the veranda of her home. Later, she started the "Adivasi Vikas Samiti School". As of 2019, the school provides education up to the 10th standard for nearly 500 boy and girl students every year. The school has increased the level of education and

standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...

in the area. Since 1964, she has educated more than 20,000 children and helped the government establish 17 schools for primary or secondary education.

Awards

, the fourth highest civilian award given by the

, in 2001, for her contribution to the field of "social work". * Kadambini Samman, 2008. * Odisha Living Legend Award for Excellence in Social Service, 2011. * Lakshmipat Singhania - IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award, in the category of Community Service and Social Upliftment (Leader), 2009.

Biopic

'' Tulasi Apa'', a biographic film based on her based on her life was released in 2015 at the

Kolkata Film Festival The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India. Founded in 1995, it is the third oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by the West Bengal Film Centre under the W ...

, where it received critical acclaim. The film was also screened at the 4th edition of the Tehran Jasmine International Film Festival (TJIFF) on 30 October 2016.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munda, Tulasi 1947 births Living people Munda people Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Indian human rights activists Indian women activists Adivasi activists Women educators from Odisha Educators from Odisha Activists from Odisha Social workers 20th-century Indian educators 20th-century Indian women Social workers from Odisha 20th-century women educators