New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Describing the Ol Chiki script as a “powerful symbol” of the Santhali identity, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said efforts should be made to preserve and promote this century-old script.
Addressing a gathering to commemorate the centenary of the Ol Chiki script, Murmu also expressed happiness that the script is growing in the digital medium.
In 1925, Pandit Raghunath Murmu created the Ol Chiki script. Since then, it has become a powerful symbol of the Santhal identity.
It was included in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule in 2003.
In her address, Murmu described India as a “garden of multiple languages”, stressing the importance of using one’s mother tongue in communication.
She also said efforts should be made to preserve and promote the Ol Chiki script.
Earlier, a military band welcomed Murmu at the venue – the Bhim Hall of the Dr Ambedkar International Centre. It first played the national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, followed by the national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
A group of folk artistes sang songs in Santhali, followed by a performance by a troupe of Santhali dancers on a theme that celebrated nature and the cultural diversity of India.
A short film on the genesis and evolution of the Ol Chiki script was also screened on the occasion.
A special postage stamp and a commemorative Rs 100 coin, along with a souvenir on Ol Chikiscript, were also released at the event.
Ol Chiki is the official script of the Santhali language, one of India’s prominent tribal languages spoken widely across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar.
Belonging to the Austroasiatic language family, Santhali has historically thrived through oral traditions.
The script consists of 30 letters, designed to accurately represent Santhali phonetics. It has two styles – ‘Chapa’ and ‘Usara’.
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, Union Culture Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Union Culture Secretary, Vivek Aggarwal, were present at the event, .
Murmu also felicitated several persons who worked to promote the Ol Chiki script.
“In 1925, Pandit Raghunath Murmu invented the Ol Chiki script. Since then, it has been used for the Santhali language. Now, this script is a powerful symbol of the Santhal identity worldwide. It is also an effective means of fostering unity among the Santhal community,” the president said.
On December 29 last year, Murmu participated in a centenary celebration of the script in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
In her address then, Murmu said that apart from getting education in any other language, learning the mother tongue, Santhali in the Ol Chiki script, is also important for the overall development of the community.
Shekhawat in his address said the invention of the Ol Chiki script gave “phonetic completeness” to Santhali culture, terming its centenary a “bright chapter in the inclusive consciousness of India”.
Terming Ol Chiki an “absolutely scientific script”, he described its evolution as a “sangam” (confluence) of various cultural ethos, of ebb and flow of cities, and a confluence of tradition and innovation.
Secretary Aggarwal termed Pandit Raghunath Murmu a “visionary inventor” and Ol Chiki script a “gift to India”.
Ol Chiki script is borne out of Santhali culture and its form drew inspiration from natural elements such as fire, earth and facial forms, Aggarwal said.
Prior to the 20th century, Santhali was transcribed using various borrowed scripts, including Roman, Bangla, Odia and Devanagari, according to a note shared on the script by the government.
These scripts facilitated limited written expression, and hence they were not specifically designed to accurately represent the distinctive phonetic features of the Santhali language.
The language includes unique sounds, such as glottal stops and specific vowel patterns, which were difficult to accurately represent using external writing systems.
Consequently, this often led to distortions in pronunciation and meaning, thereby creating obstacles in educational contexts and hampering systematic linguistic development preservation, the note said. PTI KND ARI
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