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.
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