At a time when a number of panchayat pradhans in the state are blamed for erecting double-story glossy houses, riding on expensive cars within years of assuming office, pradhan of Bijur-1 Panchayat in East Burdwan is an exception.

Jharna Roy was elected as pradhan of Bijur-1 Panchayat in 2018, which was reserved for women. Jharna still serves as a domestic help in her locality in Burdwan. She, as per rules, receives Rs 5,000 every month as stipend by the state panchayat and rural development department.

Despite this, her family lives in utter poverty.

The pradhan’s husband Nilu Roy lost his potential to work after cardiac and acute renal disorder. “This came down as a curse on us heavily as we’ve always been in a hand-to-mouth situation though my husband used to earn as a small grocer earlier,” said Jharna, adding, “A substantial amount of the money I get from the government is spent on purchasing medicines for my husband. So, to help run my family, I needed some extra income and serving as domestic help was a choice I could not refuse. So, I chose to grab it.”

Jharna serves two families in the locality everyday. Bhagavati Roy, a family head, where Jharna had been serving for the last 12 years, said, “She’s never misused her power as a pradhan. We felt embarrassed to command her when she’d first assumed charge as the panchayat chief but she made a point that she’s a pradhan at the Panchayat office and a ‘servant’ when she enters my home.”

Explaining why the pradhan couldn’t be accommodated in some other ‘prestigious’ job, Mamoni Murmu, sabhapati of Memari No. 2 panchayat samiti, said, “She’s a true courageous and a spirited woman. She was chosen for the post for her honesty and dignity of labour. She passed Madhyamik after being elected as the pradhan. She now wants to complete her graduation in humanities. We tried to engage her but her academic qualification posed a blockade.”

Murmu, as Jharna said, “Extends personal help to me from time to time.”

Hundreds of villagers visit the office of the Bijur 1 Panchayat everyday and Jharna Roy is seen sorting out their problems tirelessly. One MGNREGA beneficiary Tapan Das said, “We’re not disbursed our wages for long. I met the pradhan on the issue and she immediately called up the BDO to check the status of disbursement in my presence. She never leaves any job pending.”