By garlanding the statue of his grandfather, martyr Sobren Soren in his ancestral village, Nemra of Ramgarh district in Jharkhand today, Chief Minister-elect Hemant Soren paid tribute to him.

Soren was joined by his wife Kalpana Soren. After landing from New Delhi on Tuesday night, they flew to Nemra.

His father Shibu Soren, a Rajya Sabha Member, was born in Nemra village in what was, at the time, Bihar state. They belong to the Santal tribe. Hemant Soren’s grandfather, Sobren Soren was a teacher.

Sobren Soren is known to have taught Adivasis to get their children educated and appealed to them not to “borrow money from money lenders”. But he was murdered by “ Thugs” hired by money lenders.

Later, his son Shibu Soren rebelled against money lenders. At the age of 18, he formed the Santhal Navyuvak Sangh. In 1972, Bengali Marxist trade union leader A. K. Roy, Kurmi-Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato, and Shibu Soren formed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. 

Now, a day before he takes the oath of Chief Minister’s office for the fourth term on Thursday( tomorrow), Hemant Soren appears to have won the hearts of tribal community members who continue to hold both Sobren Soren and his son Shibu Soren as their heroes.