Santali ‘Parsi Maha': Murmu stresses on importance of mother tongues

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday urged people to preserve their mother tongues and emphasised on collective efforts towards the betterment of societyShe was speaking at the 22nd Santali lsquoParsi Maharsquo 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 PTIBeginning her address with a prayer to lsquoJaher Aayorsquo the tribal mother deity in Santali Murmu said ldquoThere 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 tonguerdquoHighlighting 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 PTIAppreciating Tata Steel for its contribution to promoting Ol Chiki the President said collective efforts are essential for societal progressAccording 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 Santalispeaking people would now be able to read and understand the Constitution in their mother tongueCalling 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 languagesThe President noted that the Centre had released Rs 24000 crore for the development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups PVTGs and felicitated 12 distinguished Santali individuals for their contributions to literatureMurmu 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 PTIGovernor 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 JharkhandldquoWe are continuously moving forward in the direction of developing tribal languages and ensuring they remain safe protected and enrichedrdquo the Chief Minister said reported PTIThe programme organised by the All India Santali Writersrsquo Association and the Dishom Jaherthan Committee marked 100 years of the Ol Chiki movement launched in 1925The President arrived in Jharkhand on Sunday night on a threeday visit On Tuesday she will visit Gumla to address the lsquoAntarrajyiy Jansanskritik Samagam SamarohndashKartik Jatrarsquo an interstate folk cultural gatheringWith PTI inputs