The President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Centenary Celebration of the Ol Chiki script, being organised by the Ministry of Culture in New Delhi today (February 16, 2026). Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Santal community has its own language, literature and culture.
However, due to the lack of its own script, the Santhali language was initially written in the Roman, Devanagari, Oriya, and Bengali scripts. Members of the Santal community living in Nepal, Bhutan, and Mauritius also used to write in the scripts prevalent in those countries.
These scripts were not able to correctly pronounce the original words of the Santhali language. 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 Santal identity worldwide.
It is also an effective means of establishing unity among the Santal community. The President said that the centenary celebrations of Ol Chiki should be an occasion to resolve for promoting this script. While children can get education in Hindi, English, Oriya and Bengali, or any other language, they should also learn their mother tongue, Santhali, in the Ol Chiki script.
The President was happy to note that many writers are enriching Santhali literature through their works. She advised them to awaken people through their writings. The President said that India is like an orchard of many languages. Language and literature are the threads that uphold unity within the communities.
The exchange of literature can enrich languages. Efforts should be made to make Santhali literature accessible to students of other languages through translation and writing and vice versa. On the occasion, the President released a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the completion of 100 years of Ol Chiki. She also felicitated 10 achievers from the Santal community for promoting wide use of Ol Chiki script among the Santhali people.