West Bengal: PM Narendra Modi lauds Purulia professor for Ol Chiki work on Constitution

PURULIA: PM Narendra Modi, in his weekly ‘Mann ki Baat’ address on Sunday morning, lauded the work of Purulia professor Sripati Tudu in transcribing the Indian Constitution into Ol Chiki. “I appreciate the thoughts and efforts of Sripatiji,” Modi said.
As he heard his name on the radio programme, Tudu broke into a big smile. The professor of Santhali language at Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University started the transcription of the 235-page book into the nearly 100-year-old script in 2019, and completed it last year.Thanks to his work, the Constitution is now accessible to a much wider audience.
“Nearly 70 lakh people across West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha speak Santhali. There are Santhali-speaking people in Assam, Tripura and Mizoram too. Many of them are not conversant in English. I thought translating the Constitution would empower them with the knowledge of their rights and duties as citizens,” Tudu said.
“When I was in school, textbooks were mostly written in Bengali. Many Santhali students faced difficulties as they had to learn Bengali to continue with their studies,” Tudu added. The lack of books in the Santhali language prompted him to take on the Constitution. “I was aware of the fact that many Santhali-speaking people are illiterate. So I needed to write it in such a lucid way that a person can even understand it merely by listening,” Tudu, who was born into a Santhal family in Bankura, said.
While the Ol Chiki script was created in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu, University Grants Commission decided to allow its use in colleges and universities only in 2013. Kherwal Soren and Damayanti Beshra received the Padma Shri for their work in Santhali. In the past few decades, authors like Saribaran Hansda and Somai Kisku have added to the language’s rich history with their literary work.
“I am happy as PM Modi actually recognised and honoured the language again today. I hope to work more towards the language and literature in future,” Tudu said.