Important Days Hul Diwas – June 30 The Santhal rebellion or ‘Hul’ (revolution) began in 1855, two years before the uprising of 1857, often referred to as “the first war for Indian independence”. Every year, the state of Jharkhand celebrates June 30 as “Hul Diwas”, marking the beginning of the rebellion. Even though some historical accounts date it to the first week of July instead. Prime Minister wished the people of Santhal tribe on occasion of Hul diwas using Ol Chiki Script of Santhali language. About Santhali Language 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act added Santali to Schedule VIII to Constitution of India, which lists the official languages of India, along with Bodo, Dogri and Maithili languages. Ol Chiki script was created in 1925 by Raghunath Murmu. Santhali is a Munda language and is spoken mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and also in Bangladesh, eastern Nepal and Bhutan. There are about 7.3 million speakers of Santali in India according to 2011 census. World Organizations – Pacts and Summits SCO summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “virtually host” Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Central Asian Presidents as India chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) for the first time. Four outcomes will be adopted at the summit including the “New Delhi Declaration”, Two joint statements on countering radicalism and on digital transformation and An agreement on an economic cooperation initiatives is being negotiated. Iran is expected to be inducted as a member of the SCO, while the process for Belarus – a key ally of Russia is under way.
