Santali language made its debut in Rajya Sabha on Friday when BJD member Sarojini Hembram spoke in the tribal mother tongue to raise a matter of urgent public importance during the Zero Hour.
She also demanded Bharat Ratna for Pandit Raghunath Murmu, who in 1925 created the Ol Chiki script for Santali, which is an Austroasiatic-Munda language spoken mostly by tribals in Odisha.
Hembram said Pt. Murmu is revered by tribals as a cultural icon in the State and the State Government has already recognised his contribution. Now, it is the turn of the nation to do so, she said.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who has encouraged MPs to use their local languages for raising Zero Hour mentions while ensuring that English and Hindi translations are available to other members on headphones, said this was the first time that Santali language was used in the Upper House.
Naidu said the interpretation in Hindi was done under a new scheme by a non-regular employee engaged for the purpose. The interpreter, he said, was a PhD student.
The Rajya Sabha has regular employees who translate statements in different recognised Indian languages into Hindi and English. Outside language experts have been engaged for translation on the basis of need.