President Droupadi Murmu celebrated the birth anniversary of Pandit Raghunath Murmu on Thursday, acknowledging his significant contributions to the Santali community. President Murmu expressed, “I pay my tributes to Pandit Raghunath Murmu on his birth anniversary. By developing Ol Chiki script he gave new identity to Santhali language. His contribution to the promotion of Santhali language has also enhanced opportunities for Santhali people and made them more aware of their rich cultural heritage.”
Renowned as a philosopher, writer, and educator, Pandit Raghunath Murmu is hailed as a pivotal figure in the Santali community for creating the “Ol Chiki” script, marking a milestone in India’s linguistic history. Prior to the nineteenth century, Santali lacked a written language, relying solely on oral tradition for knowledge transmission. Despite efforts by European researchers and Christian missionaries to document Santali using Bengali, Odia, and Roman scripts, Raghunath Murmu rejected these approaches, opting to develop the “Ol Chiki” script instead. This initiative greatly enriched the cultural identity of the Santali society, as Murmu authored numerous songs, plays, and school textbooks in this script.
Born on Baisakhi Purnima (Buddha Purnima) in 1905 in the village of Dandbose (Dahardih) in Rairangpur, a part of Mayurbhanj State in Odisha, Raghunath Murmu’s upbringing was steeped in traditional Santali customs. Despite being initially named Chunu Murmu, customary practice saw his name changed to Raghunath Murmu by the priest who performed his naming ceremony. During the Swadeshi movement in 1942, he became recognized as a revolutionary figure for championing the Ol Chiki script. Traveling extensively, he taught villagers how to read and write using the Ol Chiki alphabet and authored educational materials to facilitate learning in this script.
Throughout his life, Raghunath Murmu remained dedicated to promoting the Ol Chiki script, even spending his final days in his native village. His contributions were widely acknowledged, with titles such as “Guru Domke” (the great teacher) bestowed upon him at the All India Sarna Conference in 1956. Supported by his brother-in-law Muniram Baskey, he established a printing facility and published materials in Ol Chiki script, including the weekly magazine Saagen Saakam. Emphasizing the significance of Ol Chiki in literature, he founded the Baba Tilka Majhi Library and initiated the SECA (Social-Educational and Cultural Association) to foster intellectual exchange.
Pandit Raghunath Murmu left behind a rich legacy of more than 150 plays, short stories, novels, and poems written in the Ol Chiki script. His pioneering work earned him numerous accolades. He passed away on February 2, 1982, leaving an indelible mark on Santali language and culture.
