Santals and Ol Chikki

Why in news?

• An assistant professor in the Santali language at the Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University in West Bengal has translated the Constitution of India into Ol Chiki for first time.

About Santals:

• The Santal or Santhal, are a Munda ethnic group native to India
• According to the 2011 Census of India, there are over 70 lakh (seven million) people who speak Santali across the country.
• The Santhali community is the 3rd largest tribe in India, concentrated in seven states in large numbers, including in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. The community is also spread across Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

Ol Chikki Script:

• Ol Chikki is the official writing system for Santali.
• Santali (Santhali) was a mainly oral language until the development of Ol Chiki by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925.
• Ol Chiki is alphabetic, sharing none of the syllabic properties of the other Indic scripts, and is now widely used to write Santali in India.

• In 2003, the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act added Santhali to 8th Schedule to the Constitution of India, which lists the official languages of India, along with the Bodo, Dogri and Maithili languages.
• This addition meant that the government was obligated to undertake the development of the Santali language and to allow students appearing for school-level examinations and entrance examinations for public service jobs to use the language.

Add ons:

• Any Indian national can translate the Constitution in their own language.
• The department of Official Languages under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs oversees the implementation of the provisions of the Constitution relating to official languages and the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963.
• No permission is needed for translations. The individual also has the right to generate income by selling their translation of the Constitution.

About Santhal Rebellion:

• Santhals were the agricultural people settled in Rajmahal Hills of Bihar.
• Until the 19th century, they lived their lives in harmony with nature and practised shifting agriculture and hunting.
• They lived in the hilly regions of Birbhum, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau and Chhotanagpur.
• These areas came under the Bengal Presidency whose rule passed onto the British after the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
• The Santhal life was disrupted by the onslaught of the Zamindari system that they introduced. They were rendered landless bonded labourers in their own homes.
• British turned to them for the expansion of the revenue through agriculture. Santhals agreed to clear forests to practice settled agriculture.
• In 1832, a large number of areas were demarcated as Damin-i-Koh or Santal Pargana.
• However, gradually the exploitation started from the British side and to such an extent, that it gave rise to Santhal Rebellion. It took place in 1855-56

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Which of the following languages are included under Eighth Schedule of the Constitution?

1. Kashmiri

2. Konkani

3. Santhali

4. English

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2,3 and 4  only

(c) 1,2 and 3 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

Answer