Mona Das, with her roots in Munger district of Bihar, was sworn in to the Washington State Senate on January 14 to represent the 47th Legislative District. Photo: Mona Das

In a proud moment for India, Bihar-born Mona Das has been elected Senator of the 47th district of the State of Washington in the US in her very first attempt. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Mona Das, 47, migrated to the US along with her parents when she was just eight months old.

Mona Das, who took oath as a Senator on January 14 with the Gita in her hand, takes pride in her ancestry. Her ancestors belonged to Dariapur village of Kharagpur division in Munger district of Bihar.

Her grandfather Dr GN Das is a retired civil surgeon from Gopalganj district. He worked at Bhagalpur Medical College Hospital and Darbhanga Medical College Hospital. Mona Das was born in Darbhanga Medical College Hospital in 1971.

Her father Subodh Das is an engineer and lives in St Louise MO.

A graduate in Psychology from Cincinnati University, Mona Das's message on the day she was sworn in was replete with her love for India and its culture and tradition.

Her message started with greetings on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which was celebrated in India a day later on January 15. "Namaskar aur pranam aap sabo ko... Makar Sankaranti ki badhai ho aap sabo ko."

Mona Das further said, "Like Mahatma Gandhi and the present great and dynamic leader Prime Minister Modi ji said, education is the key to success for girls in life. By educating a girl you have educated an entire family and successive generations as well," she said in her message.

As an elected Senator, she has decided to encourage girls to push forward and shatter the glass ceiling.

Mona Das also plans to visit her ancestral village. "I have plans to one day visit my ancestral home in Dariapur in Bihar and travel through the rest of India to learn more about the immensely diverse culture that my native country is," she said.

In her capacity as Washington State Senator, she would like to make herself available to meet with key individuals in villages to provide guidance and mentorship in their efforts to improve the educational opportunities for women and thus affording them a better future. This, in turn, will yield far reaching benefit to the society as a whole, she said.

Her message ended in the same manner it had started. "Mahila Kalyan, Sabka Maan! (Women welfare, everyone's respect!) Jai Hind and Bharat Mata ki jai."

Mona Das, who defeated two-term sitting Republican party Senator Joe Fain, will serve as vice chair of the Senate Housing Stability and Affordability Committee. She will also serve on the Senate Transportation Committee, the Senate Financial Institutions, Economic Development and Trade Committee, and the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.

This session, she plans to advocate for the environment, communities of colour and equity for women.