Ol Chiki Script & Santhali Language (current affairs)
Context:
The President of India recently attended the 22nd Santhali ‘Parsi Maha’ (Language Day) and the centenary celebrations of the Ol Chiki script of the Santhali language in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
During the event, she released the Constitution of India translated into the Santhali language using the Ol Chiki script.
Key Facts:
The Santhali language previously lacked its own script and used Roman, Devanagari, Odia, or Bengali scripts, which often led to pronunciation errors.
The Ol Chiki script was created in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu.
The script is regarded as a powerful symbol of Santhal identity and unity.
Its creation allowed for the correct pronunciation and literary expression of the language.
The release of the Constitution in Ol Chiki marks a significant step in making legal and democratic texts accessible in the mother tongue of the Santhal community.
Constitutional Status:
Santhali is one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution
It was added via the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003.