The Adivasi Ho Samaj Yuba Mahasabha (AHSYM), alongside the All India Ho Language Action Committee (AIHLAC), has organised a one-day peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar for the inclusion of the Ho language in the 8th schedule of the Indian constitution.
More than two thousand Ho language-speaking tribes from Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, and Chattisgarh participated in the protest. “We want the Ho language to be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution because we believe that the language is the symbol of national identity, and if it gets protected, we will be able to conserve our culture, oral history, and traditional wisdom as well,” said Lakshmidhar Singh, All India Ho language general secretary.
“Our children will be able to read and write in their own tongue; this inclusion will improve our literacy. It will also strengthen our Ho literature”, he added.
It is one of the most ancient Austro-Asiatic family languages, with more than 40 lakh native speakers spread across the country. It has a specially designed script called Warang Chiti, which is used in the university curriculum of Jharkhand.
It has rich written and oral literature; books are published in Devnagari, Oriya, Bengali, and Warang Chiti scripts. It is also used as a medium of instruction at the primary level in a multilingual method in Odisha. The government of Jharkhand, through a gazette notification, has declared it a second state language. In spite of the fact that the states of Jharkhand and Odisha have recommended the inclusion of Ho in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution in the past, the great aspiration of Ho-speaking tribes is yet to be fulfilled. The protest was addressed by MP Sona Ram Sinku from West Singhbhum, MLA Jagannathpur from Jharkhand, and members of AIHLAC and AHSYM.