President Murmu Honours Ol Chiki Legacy
President graces 22nd Parsi Maha, marks centenary of Santhali script in Jamshedpur
- President Droupadi Murmu attends Parsi Maha and Ol Chiki centenary in Jharkhand
- Highlights Ol Chiki as symbol of Santhal identity
- Calls for promotion of Santhali language and literature
- Urges environment-friendly development
GG News Bureau
Jamshedpur, 29th Dec: President of India Droupadi Murmu on Monday graced the closing ceremony of the 22nd Parsi Maha and the centenary celebrations of the Ol Chiki script in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, underlining the script’s role as a powerful symbol of Santhal identity.
Addressing the gathering, the President said the Santhal community has a rich language, literature and cultural heritage. She noted that before the creation of Ol Chiki in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu, Santhali was written in multiple scripts such as Roman, Devanagari, Odia and Bengali, which could not fully capture the phonetics of the language. The introduction of Ol Chiki, she said, provided the Santhali language with its own distinct script and strengthened the cultural identity of the community.
The President recalled releasing the Constitution of India in Santhali language written in Ol Chiki script on December 25 this year, on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She expressed confidence that this would help Santhali-speaking people better understand the Constitution in their mother tongue.
Emphasising the importance of education in the mother tongue, she said learning Santhali in Ol Chiki script is vital for the overall development of the Santhal community. She also appreciated the efforts of writers and language enthusiasts working to promote Santhali literature.
President Murmu urged people to pursue development while remaining mindful of environmental conservation, noting that tribal communities offer valuable lessons in environment-friendly living. She highlighted the role of oral traditions and folk songs in enriching Santhali literature and encouraged writers to use their works to spread awareness among tribal communities.
Stressing the importance of translation and literary exchanges, she said such initiatives strengthen languages and bring communities closer, expressing confidence that the All India Santhali Writers’ Association would take this mission forward effectively.
