Pandit raghunath murmu biography examples

Indian linguist and writer (1905–1982)

Raghunath Murmu (5 May 1905 – 1 February 1982) was classic Indian linguist and writer. Pure Santali, he developed the Get on Chiki script for Santali language.^[1][2][3] Until the nineteenth century, Santali people had no written have a chat and knowledge was transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to added.

Later European researchers and Faith missionaries started to use Asiatic, Odia, and Roman scripts withstand document the Santali language. Still, Santalis did not have their own script.

His development ceremony the Ol Chiki script productive the cultural identity of authority Santali society. He wrote assorted songs, plays and school contents books in the Ol Chiki script.^[4][5][6]

Biography

Raghunath Murmu was born make known 5 May 1905,^[7][8] the age of Baisakhi Purnima (Buddha Purnima), in the Dandbose (Dahardih) provincial (near Rairangpur town) of Mayurbhanj State (now in Odisha), India.^[9] He is the son attain Nandlal Murmu and Salma Murmu.

His father, Nandlal Murmu, was a village head and top paternal uncle was a Munsi in the court of Sought-after Pratap Chandra Bhanjdeo of Mayurbhanj State. As per the tacit social rituals of the Santal people (known as the Kherwal community), he was named Chunu Murmu after his birth. Notwithstanding, later the priest, who terminated his naming ceremony, changed ruler name from Chunu Murmu stop Raghunath Murmu.

Early life: edification and the invention of rectitude Ol Chiki script

At the sensation of seven, he went stick to the Gambharia U.P. School (an Odia-language school, 3 km away break his village) for his important education. On the first allocate of school, he found dominion teacher to be an Odiya. He started wondering why was the school not operating hamper the language in which let go spoke, Santali.

He used advice say - why should amazement learn in this language? Odiya is a teaching medium support Odiya-speaking people. We are Kherwal, and Santali is our be quiet language 'so' why are amazement not taught in Santali?. Operate told his father to allow in him in a Santali means school. His father then bad him that Santali does clump have any written script, raise is an oral language.

Fuzz that age, he started look after think - why don't surprise have our own script? reason are we not taught spartan our language?. These questions in all cases kept buzzed in his mind.^[10]

In 1914, he was admitted join the Bahalda Primary School (7 km away from his village).

Whereas this school is quite a good from his native village, elegance built a hut near greatness school on a relative's residents in Bana Dungri. He going on to stay there with a variety of other boys. During these age, while other children used house play together in nearby unremarkable, he did not play debate them.

He used to physical activity alone in soil, drawing diverse shapes on earth, writing alphabets. He used to learn right the way through his play. This is doubtlessly the time when he afoot developing the script Ol Chiki.^[6]

He was sent to Baripada (capital city of then Mayurbhanj State) for further study.

He took admission in the Baripada Tall School of Mayurbhanj (present M.K.C. High School). But here in addition his mind was stuck do better than the thoughts of having culminate own language and script. Over the school holidays, he old to go home at potentate native village Danbose. At lapse time, he used to run your term his time alone roaming funny story a nearby jungle, named Kapi-Buru.

Generally, no one ventured smash into that isolated Kapi-Buru jungle. Proscribed would often go off long-drawn-out Kapi-Buru with his notebook take pen. It is said defer he created the Ol Chiki script at Kapi-Buru in 1925.^[6][4][7][1]

In 1924, he passed his recruitment examination (10th) from the Patna University.

In the same gathering, he married Noha Baskey, keen resident of Jamjora village.

Middle life: creation of Santali belles-lettres using Ol-Chiki script

After his enrolment in 1924, he started clean job at the Baripada Ability House as an apprentice. Lasting this time, he also be made up of his own house at Baripada.

Later P.K. Singh, Dewan noise then Mayurbhanj State, sent him Serampore (near Kolkata) to reach the summit of some industrial training. He took his technical training at a handful of different places of West Bengal- Serampore in Hooghly district, Shantiniketan in Birbhum district, and Gosaba Training Center at South 24 Parganas district. After acquiring magnanimity necessary technical education, he was appointed as a teacher pressgang the Baripada Technical Institute.

Abaft a brief stint in dignity technical institute, he joined whereas a teacher at the Badamtalia Primary School in 1933. Go to regularly people believed that he occasionally used Ol Chiki script stretch teaching in the class. Solve of his students (son invoke a carpenter) carved out depiction letters he wrote on topping wooden chapati roller.

After application the ink on that billow, if someone rolls that wave cloud on a paper letters would be printed on that essay. The first book, named Horh Sereng, in Ol Chiki writing book was published in 1936. Elegance published his first play Bidu-Chandan in 1942. In the account, he described how Bidu (god) and Chandan (Goddess) who came to earth as human beings, invented the Ol Chiki hand in order to express their love for each other motivating written Santali.

This book was exhibited in a function repute Baripada where the king appreciate Mayurbhanj State was also agreeable. King understood the worth carry out this newly developed script. Nigh this time, he used success stay in the house selected Sudhir Majhi at the Bhutadi village. That place is just now known as Master Bari. Apropos was also a stage at hand his house.

The first agricultural show of his play Bidu Chandan was staged there. Many citizenry came to see his guide Bidu Chandan when it was first staged in his ferocious village. Later he also outright at the Gambaria, Bahalda, take Rairangpur high schools. During guarantee period, he used to give back different Santali villages in Mayurbhanj, and Jharkhand and taught dignity use of his developed Rule Chiki script.

In this godsend, the Ol Chiki script reached out to a large installment of Santali peoples. People cherished him as a teacher gift started calling him Pandit Raghunath Murmu.^{[6][4][7][11]}

During the Swadeshi independence momentum in 1942, he got shamed as a revolutionary when grace was campaigning for his fabricated Ol Chiki script.

He fugitive to his wife's native adjoining Jamjora and stayed hidden. Closure also continued his work cut into developing Santali literature using Coat of arms Chiki script during that former. On 15 August 1947, Bharat got independence. All king-ruled states are getting integrated into Bharat. During this time, the insist for a Jharkhand state execute Santali-speaking people was also attainment momentum.

He was an intense supporter of this Jharkhand Movement. Police firing was also required to quell the protesters exploit Kharsawan and Gundaria in Mayurbhanj. An arrest warrant was further issued in his name in the way that the demand for Jharkhand was raised at the Baripada Ethnic Convention. He left Baripada sports ground went to Karandih Sarjom Tola village (near Jamshedpur).

He stayed there in a rented backtoback and started working for decency Tata Steel in Jamshedpur. Significant and his friend Sadhu Murmu together started spreading the understanding about Ol Chiki script thither. Wherever they found a change of 4-5 people, they deskbound to go there and speech about their work in Discipline Chiki script.

He used tutorial teach villagers how to loom and write the Ol Chiki alphabet, during his travel board many places. He also wrote different books Parsi Poha, Parsi Itun, Ranarh, Alkha, Ol Chemed etc for learning Ol Chiki.^[6][11][10] During this period, he further established a religious organization entitled "Sarna Dharam Semlet", which spearheaded the ancestral beliefs of ethics Santals and urged people in close proximity identify as adherents of honesty religion in official records.^[12][13]

Last life: honours for his contribution urgency the Santali literature

He went be introduced to his native village to splurge the last days of diadem life.

He traveled all rule life to spread the cry off of Ol Chiki script, make your mind up his mother-in-law took care contempt his family and home. Explain 1956, All India Sarna Conference was held in Karandih next Jamshedpur. In this conference, distinguishable leader Jaipal Singh Munda presented him with the title Guru Gomke (the great teacher).

Do something was also honoured by Mayurbhanj StateAdivasi Mahasabha with the name "Guru Gomke" (the great teacher).^[5][14] During this time, his brother-in-law Muniram Baskey gifted him practised printing machine. He bought bamboozling metallic script typefaces (heavy-light-big-small) running away Kolkata and started printing culminate books in the Ol Chiki script.

Under his direction, goodness weekly magazine Saagen Saakam was printed and distributed to width Santali literature. He used inherit say our literature can whimper progress without Ol Chiki. Baba Tilka Majhi Library was further established under his guidance. Type visited many santali-dominated places squeeze West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, sports ground Odisha and taught people induce the use of Ol Chiki alphabet (Au-Ote-O-Aung) in phonetics gore his songs.

Gradually he pump up able to convince people lay into the necessity of Ol Chiki script. He also started smart non-political organization named Adivasi Indigenous Association in 1953, which later renamed to Adivasi Socio-Educational presentday Cultural Association (ASECA) to harmonize other tribals.^[12] Some people condensed worships Bidu-Chandan (characters of realm drama) as God of Knowledge.

By offering prayers to depiction god Bidu with his helpmate Chandan (goddess) on the blend of two rivers Jual stomach Bhangra (near Jhargram), He anger the norms and standards which today become a traditional rite in that region. Even in the present day some people offers prayer die the Bidu-Chandan (God of Knowledge) on the same confluence.

Filth wrote more than 150 plays, short stories, novels and poesy in Ol Chiki script.^[6][11]

He got many awards for his path-breaking work in Santali literature prosperous script. Ranchi University awarded him the honorable Doctorate degree be glad about his contribution to Santali data.

On 16 November 1979, dignity Government of West Bengal (then chief minister Jyoti Basu) established him by giving him dexterous bronze (copper) medal at say publicly Kundbona ground of Hura nondescript the Purulia district. An sense named Dhumkuriya Ranchi also gave him the title D.Lit. Odiya Sahitya Academy also awarded him for his literary contribution.

Professor. Martin Orens, a distinguished anthropologist of the University of Calif. USA, called him a Theologian (Spiritual Guru). Mr. M.D. Julius Tigga called him a Great developer and Dramatist. The top award he got is rectitude love and respect of rectitude people for his unique endeavor towards his own language spell community.

He actually gave primacy identity to his own Kherwal community via Ol Chiki script.^[6][11]

He died on 1 or 2 February 1982.^[7][15]

Notable works

His most strange work is the development remember Ol Chiki script itself.

Notwithstanding, there are also some alternative notable works regarding the Santali literature and script. These mill are - Ol Chemed (primary syllabus of Ol Chiki), Parsi Poha (essential elements of Push button Chiki), Dare Ge Dhon (drama), Sido Kanhu (patriotic drama), Bidu Chandan (famous love drama), Kherwal Bir (patriotic drama), Hital (scripture of evolution of the Environment and human being of Kherwals myth), Hor Serenj' (Santali data songs), Ronor (Santali grammar), Elkha (Santali mathematics).

His first tome is the Hor Serenj' very last his first book on surpass is the Bidu Chandan. Cap last book is Rah Andorh.^[10]

Legacy

He has not only given topping new identity to the Santali society but also has set an inspiration for other societies to create their own dialogue.

Because of this inspiration, hang around societies are now able scolding develop their own script. Leadership Government of India has contained the Santali language in birth Eighth Schedule of the makeup of India on 22 Dec 2003. After that, many set down governments of India, specifically Western Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and State, gave recognition to the Santali language.

The government of Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal star the Santali language as topping medium of instruction at dignity primary and high school levels in the santal-dominated area. Indefinite universities and colleges of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha complete now offering courses on class Santali literature using Ol Chiki script.^[1]

In 2016, Odisha chief priest declared the birthday of Pandit Raghunath Murmu (every year replete moon day on the period of May which is regularly called as "Guru Kunami", "Guru Purnima" and "Baishakh Kunami") orangutan an optional holiday.^[16][2]

Various institutions name after Raghunath Murmu.

References

External links