Salkhan Murmu, the chairman of Jharkhand Dishom Party, addresses the tribal meet. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Dec. 23: More than 3,000 tribals gathered at Adivasi Youth Club at Karandih to celebrate three-day Santhali Bhasa Vijaya Mahotsav today.

Amid thunderous applause, the chairman of Jharkhand Disom Party, Salkhan Murmu, convinced the tribals to be “united mentally, physically and spiritually for rapid development the tribal society”.

The programme was organised to mark the inclusion of Santhali language as the first tribal language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The three-day event, which kicked off on December 22, will conclude tomorrow.

To instil the sense of unity among the Adivasis and remind them off the contribution of Adivasi leaders in freedom struggle, the JDP president announced their plans to celebrate 2008 as the “Hulgulan year” and appealed to all tribal leaders and tribal organisations across the country to give their contribution.

At the meeting, members of the All-India Santhali Bhasha Morcha, All-India Sarna Dharam Committee, All-India Santhali Siksha Parisad were also present and they stressed on the education of tribal women. Moreover, they announced to give the prize to best 10 students who secured high marks in Santhali.

“Women play a crucial role in social integration in human society and also in tribal societies. But tribal women have to go a long way and hence educating themselves and learning tribal languages will be essential for them. Hence, education is must for them,” said S. Soren, a member of All-India Sarna Dharam Committee.

Meanwhile, the JDP president advised the audience to congregate at the worship place on every Sunday.

“Sunday is off-day when both parents and students remain free on that day. We, Adivasis, can meet at places of worship. This is the best way to show our unity and a good platform to chalk out future strategies,” Salkhan said.

The leaders also called an indefinite statewide national blockade on January 27 in protest against the Assam violence against tribals and demanded high-level investigation into the November 24 incident.