Jamshedpur: Tata Steel celebrated the birth anniversary of Pundit Raghunath Murmu yesterday in Jhatijharna about 25 kms from Ghatshila. More than 1000 people from villages of Jhatijharna panchayat witnessed the program.
Biren Ramesh Bhuta, Chief, Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel along with Atu Majhi and Hatu Manki-Munda of Jhatijharna Panchayat paid rich tributes to Pundit Raghunath Murmu.
Tata Steel Tribal Cultural Society team organised a cultural event in association with Jhatijharna Panchayat�s village heads, Atu Majhi and Hatu Manki-Munda and tribal communities of Jhatijharna. The event showcased tribal dance performances such as Firkal, Rinjha, Karam, Dhasai by artists as well performance of Banam, a tribal music instrument was held. Dance competitions were also held on the occasion.
Pandit Raghunath Murmu was born in Dandbose (Dahardih) village, Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. After a brief stint in technical profession, he took up the job of teaching in Badomtolia high school.
During this time, he was drawn into Santhali literatures. Santhali is a language with its own special characteristics, and has a literature which dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. He felt that Santhals with their rich cultural heritage and tradition also need a separate script to preserve and promote their language, and therefore, he took up the work of inventing Ol Chiki script for writing Santhali.
The Ol Chiki was unveiled in 1925. He wrote over 150 books covering novels, drama, poetry, and stories in Santhali using Ol Chiki as a part of his extensive promotion to empower the Santhal community culturally. �Darege Dhan�, �Sidhu-Kanhu� and �Kherwal Bira� are among the most acclaimed of his works apart from �Bidu Chandan�.