Highlighting the importance of the Ol Chiki script for the Santal community, the President said the script, created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925, has become a powerful symbol of Santal identity
President Droupadi Murmu. File Pic
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday urged people to preserve their mother tongues and emphasised on collective efforts towards the betterment of society.
She was speaking at the 22nd Santali ‘Parsi Maha’ (Language Day) and the centenary celebrations of the Ol Chiki script of the Santali language at the Dishom Jaherthan courtyard in Karandih, on the outskirts of Jamshedpur in East Singhbhum district, reported news agency PTI.
Beginning her address with a prayer to ‘Jaher Aayo’, the tribal mother deity, in Santali, Murmu said, “There is no harm in learning other languages, but never forget your own mother tongue. When you speak with your own people, always try to converse in your mother tongue.”
Highlighting the importance of the Ol Chiki script for the Santal community, she said the script, created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925, has become a powerful symbol of Santal identity. She noted that prior to its creation, Santali was written in multiple scripts such as Roman, Devanagari, Odia and Bengali, which did not always convey the language accurately, reported PTI.
Appreciating Tata Steel for its contribution to promoting Ol Chiki, the President said collective efforts are essential for societal progress.
According to PTI, Murmu also said she had the opportunity to release the Constitution of India in the Santali language, written in the Ol Chiki script, on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25. She expressed confidence that Santali-speaking people would now be able to read and understand the Constitution in their mother tongue.
Calling for development with a focus on environmental conservation, Murmu said language and literature bind communities together. She encouraged translations and literary exchanges to make Santali literature accessible to students of other languages.
The President noted that the Centre had released Rs 24,000 crore for the development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and felicitated 12 distinguished Santali individuals for their contributions to literature.
Murmu, the chief guest at the event, also paid tributes to Pandit Raghunath Murmu by garlanding his bust. The programme was attended by Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and TMC MP from Jhargram (West Bengal) and Padma Shri awardee Kalipada Soren, reported PTI.
Governor Gangwar said Ol Chiki was not just a script but a symbol of ideological consciousness, cultural pride and tribal identity. Chief Minister Soren said the state government was committed to ensuring the teaching of the Santali language in the Ol Chiki script in Jharkhand.
“We are continuously moving forward in the direction of developing tribal languages and ensuring they remain safe, protected and enriched,” the Chief Minister said, reported PTI.
The programme, organised by the All India Santali Writers’ Association and the Dishom Jaherthan Committee, marked 100 years of the Ol Chiki movement, launched in 1925.
The President arrived in Jharkhand on Sunday night on a three-day visit. On Tuesday, she will visit Gumla to address the ‘Antarrajyiy Jansanskritik Samagam Samaroh–Kartik Jatra’, an interstate folk cultural gathering.
(With PTI inputs)
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