President Murmu urges writers to create awareness among tribals

Baripada: President Droupadi Murmu Monday stressed on creating awareness among tribal communities and urged writers to be involved in it.

The President said that literature is a mirror to the culture of a community and urged writers to write about the lifestyles of tribal communities so that others know about their life values.

Most of the Santali literature is available in the oral tradition and writers play a big role in popularising any language, she said addressing the 36th Annual Conference and Literary Festival of All India Santali Writers' Association.

"Authors are vigilant watchdogs of the society. They make society aware and guide it through their works. Many litterateurs showed the path to our national movement during the freedom struggle ... Building a strong and vigilant society is possible only through continuous awareness," the president said.

Murmu, who spoke in Santali during the entire programme, said language and literature are subtle threads that bind the nation together. Literature is enriched by extensive exchange between different languages which is possible through translations.

“Readers of Santali language should also be introduced to the literature of other languages through translation. Similarly, there is a need to make Santali literature reach the readers of other languages,” she said.

Murmu said natural co-existence of humans with nature is seen in tribal lifestyle as the tribal communities believe that the forest does not belong to them but they belong to the forest. This is important as climate change is a huge problem in modern times and nature-friendly living is very important to tackle it.

Appreciating writers and researchers who are contributing to Santali language and literature, she said the use of the language has increased in government and non-government sectors since its inclusion in the eighth schedule of the Constitution in December 2003.

She also appreciated that All India Santali Writers' Association for promoting Ol Chiki since its establishment in 1988 and remembered former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during whose tenure Santali language was included in the eighth schedule.

Paying her tribute to Pandit Raghunath Murmu, who invented the Ol Chiki script and also enriched it by composing a number of plays, Murmu said there are others like Damayanti Besra and Kali Pada Saren who have enriched Santali literature.

She urged Santali writers to focus on children's literature so that the language can be popularised. The work could be done by publishing magazines in the language for the children and regularly interacting with them.

Santali has the potential to expand as an Indian language, the president said and called upon Santali writers to carry forward their writing for the overall development of the language.

“First we should ourselves give importance to our Santali language before expecting others to recognize it. Santali children should be encouraged to interact in the language among themselves,” the president said.

She said that language and literature are the subtle threads that bind the nation together and literature is enriched by extensive exchange between different languages which is possible through translations.

“Readers of Santali language should also be introduced to the literature of other languages through translation. Similarly, there is a need to make Santali literature reach the readers of other languages,” she said.

Murmu said that there is need for self-study among children so that they become good readers and highlighted the need to create entertaining and comprehensible children's literature not only in Santali literature but in all Indian languages.

Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, many prominent Santali academia from Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam attended the conference. Odisha ministers Sudam Marndi and Jagannath Saraka were also present.

Earlier in the day, Murmu reached Baripada in an Indian Air Force helicopter. She was received by Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu, who is also the local MP, and state ST and SC Development Minister Jagannath Saraka.