Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren speaks out his heart in an emotional tribute to his father Shibu Soren

The Hindu

05-08-2025

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday (August 5, 2025) paid an emotional tribute to his father and former CM Shibu Soren who passed away in Delhi on Monday(August 4).
In a post on 'X', Mr. Soren said that he was going through the toughest days of his life as not only has the shadow of a father been taken from him but a pillar of Jharkhand's soul has departed.
'I didn't just call him 'Baba,' He was my guide, the root of my thoughts, and that forest-like shade that protected thousands and lakhs of Jharkhandis from the scorching sun and injustice,'Mr. Soren said.
The 81-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) co-founder Shibu Soren had passed away at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for kidney-related problems.
Mr. Soren further said that his father's beginnings whom he used to call baba, were very humble.
'Born in that small house in Nemra village, where there was poverty, there was hunger, but there was courage. In his childhood, he lost his father. The exploitation of the landlords gave him a fire that made him a fighter for his entire life. I have seen him ploughing the fields, sitting among the people, not just giving speeches, but living the sorrows of the people,'Mr. Soren said in the social media post.
Dishom Guru: 'It came from the hearts of Jharkhand's people'
He added, 'In my childhood, when I asked him: 'Baba, why do people call you Dishom Guru?' He would smile and say: 'Because, son, I only understood their pain and made their fight my own.' That title was not written in any book, nor was it given by Parliament— It came from the hearts of Jharkhand's people. 'Dishom' means society, 'Guru' means the one who shows the way.'
Born on January 11, 1944 in Nemra village of undivided Bihar, which now comes under Ramgarh district of Jharkhand, Mr. Soren played a key role in the creation of Jharkhand.
Mr. Soren pointed out that to tell the truth Shibu Soren not only showed the way, but also taught how to walk. He recalled that he saw his father only struggling, taking on the mightiest of the mighty.
'I was scared, but Baba was never afraid. He would say: 'If standing against injustice is a crime, Then I will be guilty again and again.' No book can explain Baba's struggle. It was in his sweat, in his voice, and in the cracked heels covered by his sandals. When Jharkhand became a state, his dream came true, but he never considered power an achievement,'Mr. Soren said.
He asserted that Jharkhand State was not a throne for him rather it was the identity of his people.
'Today, Baba is no longer here, but his voice echoes within me. I learned to fight from you, Baba, not to bow down. I learned to love Jharkhand from you without any selfishness. Now you are not among us, but you are in every path of Jharkhand. The dream you saw is now my promise. I will not let Jharkhand bow down; I will not let your name fade away. Your struggle will not remain incomplete,'Mr. Soren said.
On Monday (August 4), leaders cutting across party lines paid tribute to Shibu Soren. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge visited the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and paid tributes to the veteran tribal leader.
'Baba, now you rest, you have fulfilled your duty, now we must walk in your footsteps. Jharkhand will remain indebted to you. I, your son, will keep your promise. Long live Veer Shibu - Long live, long live! May Dishom Guru remain immortal. Hail Jharkhand,'Mr. Soren said at the end of the emotional message.
Shibu Soren's last rites and funerals would be performed later in the day at his native village.