Santhals community in spotlight after NDA named Draupadi Murmu as their Presidential candidate

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The Santhal community is back in the spotlight after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) named Draupadi Murmu as their Presidential candidate for the upcoming election on July 18.

• Community leaders termed it the 'Golden Age' for the Santhals in the country.

• If elected, Draupadi Murmu will become India's first tribal woman president.

• Who are the Santhals?

• The Santhals are the third largest scheduled tribe community in India after the Gonds and Bhils.

• Santhal population is found in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

• Mayurbhanj, the home district of Draupadi Murmu, is one of the districts with the largest concentration of the tribe.

• In Odisha, apart from Mayurbhanj district, Santhals are found in Keonjhar and Balasore.

• The literacy rate of this tribe is very high as compared to other tribes of Odisha.

• Santhal's tribal language is called Santhali, which is written in a script called Ol chiki, developed by Santhal scholar Pandit Raghunath Murmu.

• Other notable Santhal personalities

• Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand belongs to santhal tribes.

• Girish Chandra Murmu, the first Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, is now Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

• Mayurbhanj MP, Biseshwar Tudu, is a Santhal who is the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti.