Raghunath Murmu

Inventor of Ol Chiki script, writer and linguist (1905–1982)

Raghunath Murmu also called Guru Gomke (05 May 1905 – 1 February 1982) was the inventor of the "Ol Chiki" script used in the Santali language.[1]

Raghunath Murmu
Stone bust of R. Murmu in the Odisha Tribal Development Society (OTDS), Bhubaneswar office.
Stone bust of R. Murmu in the Odisha Tribal Development Society (OTDS), Bhubaneswar office.
Born(1905-05-05)5 May 1905
Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India
Died1 February 1982(1982-02-01) (aged 76)
OccupationIdeologist, playwright, and writer
NationalityIndian
SubjectOl Chiki alphabet

Early life

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Raghunath Murmu was born in Dandbus village of Mayurbhanj district in 5th May 1905. His father Nandlal Murmu was village head and his paternal uncle was Munsi in the court of Raja Pratap Chandra Bhanjdeo.[2]

Honours

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Murmu was honoured by Mayurbhanj State Adivasi Mahasabha with the title "Guru Gomke" (the great teacher).[3][4]

Murmu's birthday, the 5th May, was declared an "optional holiday" by the Odisha chief minister in 2016, and the state culture department was directed to celebrate the day annually, in honour of his creation of the Ol Chiki script.[5]

References

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  1. Pathy, Jaganath (1988). Ethnic Minorities in the Process of Development. Rawat Publications. ISBN 978-81-7033-055-4.
  2. "उड़िया समझ नहीं आई तो रघुनाथ मुर्मू ने जल-जंगल, जमीन से जुड़े वर्ण गढ़ बना दी लिपि" [When Raghunath Murmu didn't understand Odiya language then he himself devised a script]. Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 2018-12-22. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  3. Pathy, J (1988). Ethnic Minorities in the Process of Development. Rawat Book Sellers. p. 174. ISBN 9788170330554.
  4. "Indian Linguistics". 47–50. 1987: 18. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Naveen declares birthday of Raghunath Murmu a holiday - Times of India". The Times of India. 2016-05-22. Archived from the original on 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2020-01-05.