Santals regard themselves as Horhappan (Human beings). They are governed by the god. And, it is rightly said in Santali,BONGA CHETAN ABO R ABO CHETAN BONGA. Santals cant live without bonga and bonga has no value without Santals. It is believed that whenever and where ever they go for a journey, the ancestral (orah bonga)) god accompanies them. In special cases other god does escort them. In return, the Santals pay their obeisance and offerings unto them.
The best obeisance and offerings to Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the inventor of Santali Script, Olchiki is to highlight his deeds and activities of life. Gods reveal themselves to the selected few person(s) in many ways. It was crop harvesting season, i.e. the month of October & November. The rice crops are getting ripens in the fields. The men folks of the village normally guard the paddy fields, in the night. As usually Pt. Raghunath Murmu and their manservant, Mr. Begai Hansdah used to guard their paddy fields, every night. At the dawn they come back to the home, the village Dahardi (Dandbush). One day, unusually extraordinary things happened. Pt. Raghunath Murmu was still in deep sleep at the kumba (temporary field-shelter), after the day break also. Mr. Begai Hansdah, the manservant called his master, but didnt get the response. Every time he called out, but got no response. Since it is getting late to the home, he gently pushed his master while calling out him. Pt. Raghunath Murmu did not respond to the call and pushing of Mr. Begai Hansdah. The manservant got fatigued on pushing & calling out his master. He got panicked, sensing his master is no more. Came out of kumba and looked around. Every where none but calm and quite. No sooner he decided to hurry up to the village, Dandbush and inform the tragic message to his masters family. He was stepping fast towards the village on the meandering path along the side of the small hill, Kapiburu. The sun has just risen on the horizon. The entire Kapiburu hill is just illuminated with the bright tender rays of the sun. The morning sun is just stronger than the moon light. The beautiful aroma of blossomed flowers is being carried away from the hill top of Kapiburu down to its foot hill. The entire hill is covered with and envelope of fragrance. One can hear the humming sound of the bees, busy for collecting the nectar from the flowers. The black bees are making beelines from flowers to flowers in search of juices. The birds are zooming down to paddy fields from the hill top trees. Their lively chirpings have filled the entire atmosphere of Kapiburu, as if they are chanting morning aroti to the gods of Kapiburu. With gentle breeze, the paddy crops laden with grains are dancing to & fro, rhythmically and sequentially. As if they are locked hand-in-hand across each others back and welcoming their master who sown the seeds, watered, nurtured the tender plants till it grown to bear the grains and also safe guard from the antisocial elements. The stones of the Kapiburu remained the mute spectators. The soils of the hill have spread themselves to catch the foot prints of the Kapiburu-man. The creepers are bedecked with myriad of colourful flowers, ready to garland a luminary. This is not much far from the village Dandabush but away from the madding crowd. This is the abode of the Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the man in search of Olchiki. A man appeared at some far distance away on that meandering path on which Mr. Begai Hansdah is walking past. It caught the sight of Begai Hansdah. A man is approaching towards him from the opposite direction, on the same path. Mr. Begai Hansdah was stepping faster and faster towards the village/home and unmindful to the scene. He was totally engrossed. All of a sudden he heard his masters voice-Mr. Begai, where are you hurrying up? He stopped and suddenly looked around hearing the voice. What he saw but could not believed to his eyes. He holds his breath and kept on staring at that standing man, none other than his master Pt. Raghunath Murmu. Manservant remained spellbound while staring at his master, till he was asked by Raghunath Lets go back to the kumba. With a great dilemma Mr. Begai accompanied his master to the kumba. No sooner they reached there, Begai peeped into the kumba and looked for the other master, whom he have had been pushing while calling out him. To his dismay he found nobody inside the kumba. Begai looked back and about to ask.......Meanwhile Pt. Raghunath Murmu said whatever you have seen is well and good, and absolutely true. Keep it with you, so long I am there. This has been made public, after the death of Pt. Raghunath Murmu. He used to go to meet the god(s), in the Kapiburu. Many a times, god(s) comes to his house to pick him up in the night. And before day break they used to drop him at his residence. This is one of the features of Pandit Raghunath Murmu. He was a god itself, in Human form. My humble obeisance to that Great Soul, who invented the Santali Script, the Olchiki. Janardan Murmu, Manager- Operations, HPCL- Visakh Refinery Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Santali Video Link - santali.jharkhandi.com
