Siddi activist Hirbai Ibrahim Lobi honored with Padma Shri and heartfelt presidential gesture
Social worker Hirbai Ibrahim Lobi received the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu in 2023 and affectionately placed her hands on the President’s shoulders during the ceremony.
Hirbai Ibrahim Lobi, a prominent Siddi social worker from Jambur village in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2023 for her extensive grassroots efforts that benefitted more than 700 women and children. Despite losing her parents early and lacking formal schooling, she educated herself via radio and applied that knowledge to promote organic farming, financial literacy, and alternative livelihoods for Siddi families.
She established the Mahila Vikas Foundation in 2004 and collaborated with the Adivasi Mahila Sangh, also known as the Siddi Women’s Federation. During the Padma Awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, she addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about her community’s invisibility, receiving a respectful bow, and later placed her hands warmly on President Droupadi Murmu’s shoulders, a moment that went viral. Lobi died at her home on January 24, 2025, leaving behind two sons and a daughter, and her death was mourned as a significant loss for the Siddi community.
Why it matters
The story highlights the impact of grassroots activism on marginalized communities and the national recognition of such efforts.
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