Irom Sharmila Age, Caste, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Irom Chanu Sharmila
Nickname(s)	Iron Lady of Manipur, Mengoubi (meaning: the fair one)
Profession(s)	Social & Political Activist, Poet
Famous For	Her 16-year-long hunger strike against AFSPA in Manipur
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in feet inches- 5’ 5”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 55 kg in pounds- 121 lbs
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	14 March 1972
Age (as of 2023)	51 Years
Birthplace	Kongpal, Imphal, Manipur, India
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Imphal, Manipur, India
School	Name Not Known
Educational Qualification	High School Leaving Certificate Examination from Board of Education Manipur in 1991
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Meitei-Brahmins
Ethnicity	Meitei
Address	Kongpal Kongkhamlekai, Porompa, Imphal East, Manipur-795005
Hobbies	Doing Yoga, Reading, Writing Poems
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Boyfriends	Desmond Coutinho
Marriage Date	17 August 2017
Marriage Place	Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
Family
Husband/Spouse	Desmond Coutinho (a British citizen)
Children	Son- None Daughter(s)- Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara (twins)
Parents	Father- Late Irom Nanda Singh (used to work as Grade IV worker in a veterinary hospital in Imphal) Mother- Irom Shakhi
Siblings	Singhajit (elder brother) and 7 others
Favourite Things
Favourite Leader	Mahatma Gandhi
Money Factor
Net Worth	Rs. 2.6 Lakh (as in 2017)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Irom Sharmila

• Irom Sharmila is best known for her 16-year-long hunger strike, which had begun on 2 November 2000 and ended on 9 August 2016, her strike was against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Manipur.
  

  Irom Sharmila During Her Hunger Strike Days

• Her strike began after “Malom Massacre” on 2 November 2o00, ten people were shot at the bus stand by an Indian Army unit operating in the state. A memorial has been built at the site where the massacre had happened.
  

  The memorial site in Manipur where the 10 civilians were killed by Indian soldiers

• Sharmila spent most of her 16 years’ hunger strike in judicial custody in a hospital in Manipur’s capital, Imphal, where she was force-fed a cocktail of medicines and baby formula.
  

  Irom Sharmila Being Taken To A Hospital in Jail

• Irom is said to be “world’s longest hunger striker.”

• She was voted the “top woman icon of India by MSN Poll” on the International Women’s Day of the year 2014. 

• Sharmila was approached by several political parties to stand in the national elections but she had denied their offers.

• She has been arrested many times under the charges of “attempt to suicide.” 

• In 2011, ‘Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign (SSSC)’ was launched.

• She was an average student and was always interested in famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, etc., since her childhood.
  

  Irom Sharmila’s Childhood Photo

• In the early 1990s, she joined a course in journalism and began writing articles and poetry.

• She has also worked with social organisations like the BlindSchool for Children and Universal Youth Development Council.

• In 1998, Sharmila attended a course in nature cure and yoga. 

• Sharmila is a voracious reader and after she reads a book, she donates it to the Imphal Public Library, which has gathered a shelf of her books over the last eleven years.
  

  Irom Sharmila Reading a Book

• Her elder brother, Singhajit, had left his job to take care of her sister, Sharmila.

• She met her mother only once since she had started her fast; as she felt meeting her mother might affect her resolution to fast, She said:
  

  The day AFSPA is repealed I will eat rice from my mother’s hand.”

• She ended her hunger strike on 9 August 2016 and announced her decision to enter the politics.

• On 18 October 2016, she announced her new political party- People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance ( PRJA). This date was significant as the 1st session of the Manipur Assembly was held on the same date in 1948.
  

  Irom Sharmila During Her Election Campaign

• In 2017, she fought the Manipur State Assembly Elections against the Congress candidate Okram Ibobi Singh (the then Chief Minister of Manipur) from the Thoubal Constituency. However, she lost the election; as she got only 90 votes.

• She has been awarded many prestigious Human Rights Awards.
  

  Irom Sharmila Receiving Signature Peace Awards

• Her paternal grandmother Irom Tonsija Devi fought in the second Nupi Lan (also called Nupilan or Nupi Lal) or 1939 women’s war against the British Raj.

• In 1989, her father died of cancer.

• Author Deepti Priya Mehrotra has written a book on Sharmila’s life- Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur.
  
  

• After reading the book written on the struggle of Sharmila’s life, Desmond Coutinho, a British citizen, fell in love with Sharmila and wrote letters to her. Sharmila confessed that she was in love with Desmond Coutinho and they were planning to get married after the end of her fast, which they did on 17 August 2017 under the Special Marriage Act. Both are living in Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu.
  

  Irom Sharmila With Her Husband Desmond Coutinho

• She considers Mahatma Gandhi as her idol.

• On 12 May 2019, on the eve of Mother’s day, Irom Sharmila delivered twin girls.