NEW DELHI: President Draupadi Murmu on Monday said efforts should be made to preserve and promote the script of the Saotali language alphabet, Ol Chiki.
Efforts should be made to preserve, promote Ol Chiki Lipi: President MurmuAddressing a gathering to commemorate the centenary of Ol Chiki script, Murmu also expressed happiness that the script is growing through digital medium.
In 1925, Pandit Raghunath created the Murmu ol Chiki script. Since then, it has become a powerful symbol of Santal identity.
It was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 2003.
In his address, Murmu described India as a “garden of multiple languages”, stressing the importance of using one’s mother tongue in communication.
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He also said that efforts should be made to preserve and promote Ol Chiki script.
Earlier, a military band welcomed Murmu to the venue – Dr Ambedkar International Centre’s Bheem Hall. It is played first by the national anthem, ‘Vande Mataram’, followed by the national anthem ‘Jan Gana Man’.
A group of folk artists sang in the Saotali language, followed by a troupe of Saotali dancers on a theme that celebrated nature and India’s cultural diversity.
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A short film on the origin and evolution of the Ol Cheeky script was also screened at the event.
A special postage stamp and a souvenir ₹100 rupees coin along with a souvenir of Ol Chikiscript was also released on the occasion.
Ol Chiki is the official script of Saotali language, one of the prominent tribal languages of India widely spoken across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Bihar.
Belonging to the Austroasiatic language family, Saotali has historically been enriched through oral tradition.
The script consists of 30 characters, designed to accurately represent Saotali phonetics. It has two styles – ‘Champa’ and ‘Usra’.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Culture Secretary Vivek Agarwal were present on the occasion.
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Murmu also felicitated several people who worked in the promotion of the Oll Cheeky script.
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