Hul Johar to all our well-wishers and supporters from the entire Santal Voices team.
Today is Hul Diwas, a day of sacrifice and remembrance. On this day in 1855, our great heroes Sidho Murmu and Kanhu Murmu led the historic uprising against British colonial rule, a movement that we proudly remember as the Santal Hul.This movement witnessed the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of great leaders such as Sidho, Kanhu, Chand, and Bhairav, whose unwavering determination became the voice of the Santal community.
Their legacy continues to inspire us even today. Inspired by their ideals, we are beginning a new initiative on this historic occasion.Over the years, we have witnessed a steady growth in Santali content written in the Ol Chiki script. Many individuals and organizations are making commendable efforts to promote the language. However, we also realized that there is no dedicated English-language platform that effectively represents the voice of the Santals before the wider world. In many instances, mainstream media either overlooks our concerns or fails to give them the attention they deserve.It is with this vision that we conceived Santal Voices.
The version of Santal Voices that you see today is only the beginning—it is not yet our complete version. Our sincere effort will be to develop this portal into the authentic voice of the Santal community while also making it a reliable source of knowledge, information, and documentation on Santali language, literature, culture, history, and contemporary issues.
Many of you already know us. Since 2014, we have been working towards the digital empowerment and promotion of the Santali language. In this journey, R. Ashwani Banjan Murmu serves as the Patron of this new initiative. Santal Voices is the realization of his vision. Ramjit Tudu has been guiding this project with his valuable experience and leadership.The editorial and content team is being led by experienced content creators including Kariya Baskey, Bodi Baski, Prashanta Hembram, Bijendra Hansda, Suku Murmu, Premchand Murmu, Shubhashish Kisku, and other editorial team. We are also fortunate to have with us Albetus Tudu and Subash Murmu of Bangladesh and Shibu Murmu of Nepal, making this a truly collaborative initiative across borders.
We recognize the immense responsibility of serving the Santali language, literature, and culture, and we embrace this responsibility with sincerity. We also understand the expectations and aspirations that our community has entrusted to us. We hope to live up to your trust and fulfill your shared vision. We are looking for the same encouragement and support to this initiative as you have so generously given to our previous projects. With your unwavering support, Santal Voices will truly become the voice of the Santal community.
Hul Johar!
Team Santal Voices