Village In Odisha's Mayurbhanj Keeps Alive Santhali Tradition With Writings In Ol Chiki

By Minati Singha

Bhubaneswar: A walk through Rutughutu, a remote tribal village in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, feels like stepping into a classroom.

The walls of houses in the village glow with bright reds, blues, greens and yellows, each carrying messages on unity, culture and morality- all written in Ol Chiki- the script of Santhali language.

"Earlier we used to paint our houses with traditional motifs like nature, and animals and birds, human figures of couples, mother and children, men and women dancing, farming and hunting and festivals. But the idea of writing in Ol Chiki struck me and I discussed it with some friends working for promotion and popularisation of Santhali language. They liked it and sent me some quotes and poems, which we wrote on the wall of our house. Now, many houses in our village have painted Ol Chiki writings on their walls," said Salhay Hembram, a resident of Rutughutu village in Mayurbhanj district.

As Santhali communities across the world are celebrating 100 years of Ol Chiki script, some tribal villages in Odisha have started a unique initiative to promote the language. Villagers have turned the walls of their houses as canvases by painting graffitti of folk sayings, moral lessons, verses of santhali poets and alphabets and symbols -all in Ol Chiki script replacing traditional motifs. This, they say, is the most effective way to instill love for their mother tongue among the younger generation.

A woman sits on the verandah of a house in Rutughutu village (ETV Bharat)

"I sincerely thank Salhay Hembram for this thoughtful and generous effort of painting Ol Chiki script on walls of houses. This has become a strong way of promoting our mother tongue and inspire the younger generation in taking pride in it," said Ramjit Tudu, a Santhali activist and technologist who has launched a drive to ensure digital presence of Santhali language and Ol Chiki script.

Tudu further added, "With the spread of smartphones, migration and school education in dominant languages like Odia and English, many youngsters have limited exposure to written Santhali, the wall art initiative will help the bigger movement of promotion and popularization on Santhali language,"

Currently tribal villages are celebrating 'Magh-Mone-Doson' - a festival celebrated in the month of Magh during which families invite relatives and friends from nearby villages and offer them food, singing and dance. As they are decorating their houses for the festival, the painting of Ol Chiki script has become a powerful medium for protection and promotion of Santhali language.

Message painted on a wall in Ol Chiki in Rutughutu village (ETV Bharat)

“Writing Ol Chiki proverbs instead of traditional wall painting is a reminder for all about its existence for a century. Proverbs written on wall are intended for Ol Chiki illiterate onlookers to make them feel that they are missing out on something important and in turn motivate them to learn Ol Chiki. Besides, quotations also attract attention of youth easily and social thinkers more prominently” said Salkhu Majhi, former Chief Manager at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd Refinery, Mumbai and resident of Rutughutu and popular Olchiki lover and campaigner.

Community members and Santhali language experts also feel that the initiative is crucial for Santhali language and Ol Chiki script which are still in its formative stage.

"The Santhali language and Ol Chiki script both are in their tender age and delicate. They require immense care and nurturing. In cultivating love for one's mother tongue among the young generation, nothing can be more powerful or responsible a contribution than painting the homes with inspirational quotes in Ol Chiki. It will survive and grow only when people use it in everyday life," Murmu said.

"The dedication shown by villagers in preserving and promoting their language and script through these thoughtful practices is truly commendable. Their simple yet meaningful actions are playing a vital role in safeguarding the cultural identity and linguistic heritage of the Santhali community," said R Ashwani Banjan Murmu, a Santhali writer and language expert, who is spearheading the Santhali language digitisation movement and launched Mission Ol Chiki to promote the language.

Message written in Ol Chiki on a wall of a house in Rutughutu village (ETV Bharat)

Santhali belongs to the Austro-Asiatic group of languages, spoken by over seven million people across the world including 8.6 lakh in Odisha. The language carries centuries of indigenous knowledge, folklore and collective memory through oral traditions and borrowed scripts for years.

In 1925 Pandit Raghunath Murmu created the Ol Chiki script comprising 30 letters, giving the language its own visual and cultural identity. In 2003 Santhali was declared as an official language in India. However, low literacy rate among Santhali speaking regions, limited trained teachers and inadequate learning materials are major roadblocks for use and adoption of Ol Chiki.

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