Some 15 years ago, the sight of hawkers distributing newspapers in English, Hindi, Bengali and Oriya languages in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, upset Malati Murmu because she had nothing to read in her mother tongue. Malati’s dismay gave birth to a newspaper that would preserve as well as uplift Santhali (also Santali) – the 22nd official language of the Indian Constitution that is not used in any government work.

1. 3 0 S T A D E S M E D I A

2. Some 15 years ago, the sight of hawkers distributing newspapers in English,
Hindi, Bengali and Oriya languages in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, upset Malati
Murmu because she had nothing to read in her mother tongue. Malati’s dismay
gave birth to a newspaper that would preserve as well as uplift Santhali (also
Santali) – the 22nd official language of the Indian Constitution that is not used
in any government work.

3. With a shoestring budget of Rs12,000, Malati and
her husband Mangat Murmu launched Fagun,
India’s only Santhali newspaper published and
circulated from Bhubaneswar since April 10, 2008.

4. Preserving Santhali Culture
Santhals or Santals are a Munda ethnic group native to India, with a
population of 7.4 million predominantly settled in Jharkhand, Odisha, West
Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura, as per the Census 2011. The
Santhali community living across the country reads Fagun. The tabloid not
only bridges the gap between members of the ethnic group but also updates
them with current affairs.
Malati Murmu editing for Fagun at her
Bhubaneswar office.

5. “The purpose of Fagun is to protect Santhali language
and literature. Our primary focus is on socio-education
and promotion of tribal culture,” Malati says.
Santhali is written in Ol Chiki script, which comprises
30 letters derived from natural shapes like the earth,
bending trees or overflowing rivers changing course.

6. The Ol Chiki script was invented in 1925 by writer
and educator Raghunath Murmu to promote the
Santhali culture.

8. At the initial stage, only 500 copies were printed at a manual press. However, the
readership and circulation were augmented with each passing year.
Now around 5,000 copies are printed in an automatic press, each priced at Rs5. The
paper is read by Santhalis in Andaman and Nicobar Island, Bhagalpur, Chennai,
Cuttack, Dumka, Delhi, Guwahati, Jagdalpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Puri, Ranchi, and
Visakhapatnam.
Each edition of Fagun covers educational news, arts and cultural programmes of the
tribal community, conferences conducted by Santhali and Adivasi societies,
government announcements about tribals, traditional Santhali culinary recipes,
book reviews, plantation drives, jobs information, campaigns against prejudice and
awareness campaign against the consumption of country liquor.

10. Contribution of Fagun
Despite being a small newspaper, the contribution of Fagun is much bigger in
terms of its social, cultural and educational impact on the tribal community.
Malati says cultural amalgamation is on the rise nowadays in Bengal and Odisha,
where young members are marrying non-tribal communities and leaving behind
their tribal culture.
Not only that, Fagun also creates awareness among Santhali natives who live in
other states and speak Hindi or English.
Her newspaper encourages them to
maintain the link with their tribal
roots.

11. “I believe we should not mix cultures at home. Some people move away from
their tribal culture owing to their inter-caste marriage,” she says.
“We encourage them to take up Santhali art, music and literature and stay
connected. It won’t affect their marriage or social status,” Malati says.

12. “Our community observes Sidhu Kanhu festival on June 30 but it is not
covered by the mainstream media,” says Mangat, who works with the Odisha
government.
The festival commemorates the Santhal Rebellion which started on June 30,
1855, to end the revenue system of the British East India Company and the
zamindari system in India.
“Our readers feel encouraged to undertake
more plantation drives when they find their
pictures in Fagun,” says Mangat.

13. Fagun is promoting ‘Mission Ol Chiki 2025’ to celebrate the centenary year of Pandit
Raghunath Marmu’s invention – the Ol Chiki script. “We are inviting school and college
students who don’t know Ol Chiki to learn with the help of Adivasi Socio-Education and
Culture Association in Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam,” he informs.
Teamwork
The Fagun reporting team comprises five journalists stationed at Mayurbhanj, three at
Ghatshila, and one each in Kharagpur, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar.
Besides, a handful of friends from Bankura, Kalyani and Purulia send news items either
through WhatsApp or email in Ol Chiki script while some reporters send type-written or
handwritten copies through the post. Important national news gets translated.
Before the edition goes to the press for printing, the pages are checked through the
experienced eyes of the editor and her team, which includes R. Aswanibhanjan Murmu,
the chief reporter and Malati’s husband Mangat.

14. By the 10th or 12th of every month, 1500 copies are dispatched by
post while the rest are distributed at Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and
Balasore through bus services. Soft copy (PDF) is circulated
among members in Nepal, Bangladesh and the USA.

15. Besides thousands of regular subscribers, the newspaper also has140 life members.
The paper also goes to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Finance Ministry, the
Irrigation Ministry, the Tribal Ministry, the Governors of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal,
Assam and the Chief Ministers of these states. It is circulated among all District Headquarters
of Odisha.
The lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone, including printers and
publishers of the newspapers and Fagun is no exception. The edition couldn’t be delivered to
its readers residing far-off from Bhubaneswar since buses were called off roads, which forced
them to reduce the number of copies from 5000 to 2000. But numbers are expected to be back
to normal soon as restrictions ease up across the country.
Creating an identity
Malati’s persistence in developing Santhali vernacular through short stories, poetries and
creative writings has drawn the attention of several forums. The All India Small and Medium
Newspaper Editor Council, Odisha presented her with an award for ‘Excellence’ in 2010.

16. Malati Murmu with Mangat Murmu receiving an award for contribution to the
Santhali language and culture.

17. A social organisation of Jhargram, Marshal Gaonta handed over an award for outstanding
contribution for upliftment of Santhali language and literature in May 2015. She was also
honoured with the Telegraph True Legends Award in February 2016.
While the tribal community is determined to move ahead, lack of education and addiction
to country liquor hooch remain a hindrance. Malati says improvement is possible through
continuous awareness programmes.
“We plan to reach out to every gram panchayat for education,” she says.
Malati plans to bring an online edition of the newspaper. “Fagun will soon be available on
social media as well. We keep spreading messages to everyone through Fagun – ‘Love Ol
Chiki, Speak Santhali’,” she says with a smile.
“We would like the Ol Chiki script to be
included in the schools and colleges’
curriculum.”
(Partho Burman is a Kolkata-based award-winning
journalist. He writes inspiring human interest and
motivational stories.)