THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Sept 18: Assam Chief Minister and co-in-charge of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma, met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with a delegation from the Ho community on September 16.
The delegation included Gabbar Singh Hembrom, General Secretary of the Adivasi Ho Samaj Yuva Mahasabha, former MP Geeta Koda, and others. They also submitted a memorandum.
Long-standing demand for Ho language recognition
Sarma stated that the Ho community, spread across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam, has long demanded the inclusion of the Ho language (written in the Warang Kshiti script) in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He met with Amit Shah alongside representatives of the Ho Samaj Yuva Mahasabha and the All India Ho Language Action Committee to present this demand.
According to Sarma, the Home Minister listened attentively to the delegation and assured them that the government would consider their request. He emphasized that the Modi government is committed to protecting the culture of every community in the country.
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Ho language’s cultural and linguistic importance
Sarma highlighted that the Ho language is spoken by 18 lakh people in Jharkhand, 14 lakh in Odisha, 7 lakh in Assam, 50,000 in Chhattisgarh, and approximately 1 lakh in other regions. He also noted that the language has its own script, Warang Kshiti, and a distinct vocabulary.
Research in history and social sciences has been published in Ho, and its literature is available in Devanagari, Odia, Bengali, and Roman scripts.
He mentioned that the Ho language is taught from primary school to university level in Jharkhand, including at Kolhan University, Ranchi University, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University.
The language is used by both tribal and non-tribal communities and has been recognized as a second official language in Jharkhand, with appointments also made based on its proficiency.
Sarma also shared that scholars of the Ho language have been honoured with the Padma Shri award, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the holistic development and cultural preservation of tribal communities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
He added that just as the BJP government amended the Constitution in 2003 to include Santhali and Bodo in the Eighth Schedule, the government will take necessary steps to include the Ho language in the future.
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