The creation of the Ol Chiki script was not merely a linguistic innovation but also an instrument of cultural assertion, educational empowerment and collective identity among the Santals. Discuss.

Ol Chiki is the indigenous script developed in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu for writing the Santali language, one of India's largest tribal languages belonging to the Austroasiatic (Munda) language family.

The script consists of 30 letters designed to accurately represent Santali phonetics.

Ol Chiki enabled Santals to assert their distinct cultural identity:

• Before Ol Chiki, Santali was written in multiple borrowed scripts, leading to the absence of a uniform written tradition.
• A dedicated script reinforced the distinct linguistic and cultural identity of the Santals and facilitated the preservation of oral traditions, including folklore, myths, songs, rituals and customary knowledge.
• E.g., Annual celebration of Hul Diwas and Baha festivals increasingly incorporates literature and performances in Ol Chiki.

It strengthened educational empowerment among the Santals:

• Learning in the mother tongue improves literacy, comprehension and retention, especially in early education.
• Ol Chiki enabled the preparation of school textbooks, dictionaries, grammar books and children's literature in Santali. E.g., NCERT has developed Santali teaching material in Ol Chiki.
• It expanded opportunities for formal education, teacher training and literary development.

It fostered collective identity and political mobilisation:

• A common script unified Santals living across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and neighbouring states, and strengthened community organisations, literary associations and cultural movements.
• The script became a vehicle for articulating tribal rights, identity and representation. E.g., Translation of the Indian Constitution into Santhali via Ol Chiki gives the community direct access to their legal rights and tribal safeguards.

Thus, Ol Chiki transformed Santali from a predominantly oral language into a vibrant literary medium.

Strengthening its use through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, mothertongue education initiatives and digital technologies can further promote India's linguistic diversity and tribal heritage.