Voices from the Margins, Santhali Identity, Affordable Healthcare, and India’s AI Ambition
The letters page of a newspaper is often a mirror to the nation’s soul—a collection of citizen concerns, aspirations, and observations that together paint a picture of the times. This week’s correspondence offers a fascinating triplicate of themes: the preservation of indigenous linguistic identity, the struggle for affordable healthcare, and India’s positioning in the global artificial intelligence revolution. At first glance, these topics appear disconnected. But together, they reveal a nation grappling with the tension between tradition and modernity, between heritage and progress, between the ancient and the futuristic.
Protecting Santhali Linguistic Identity
P. Victor Selvaraj from Tamil Nadu writes in response to President Droupadi Murmu’s recent call to preserve and protect Ol Chiki, the alphabetic script of the Santhali language. His letter is a timely reminder of India’s extraordinary linguistic diversity and the constitutional commitment to protect it.
Santhali is one of India’s oldest living tribal languages, spoken primarily by the Santhal community across several states, including Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Assam. It was officially recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 2003, a landmark moment that placed it among India’s 22 scheduled languages and affirmed its place in the national firmament.
But recognition is not the same as preservation. As Selvaraj notes, Ol Chiki is a phonetic and scientific script, designed specifically to accurately represent Santhali sounds. Its preservation involves documentation, digitisation, and integration into education systems. Many tribal languages in India are primarily oral, with limited written traditions. This makes them particularly vulnerable to language endangerment—a phenomenon that has accelerated in recent decades as younger generations shift to dominant languages like Hindi, Bengali, or English.
The stakes are high. When a language dies, it is not just words that are lost. It is an entire way of seeing the world, a unique repository of cultural knowledge, oral literature, traditional medicine, and ecological wisdom. For the Santhal community, Ol Chiki is not just a writing system; it is a marker of identity, a vessel for history, and a tool for empowerment.
Selvaraj’s letter points to the practical benefits of preservation: improved literacy among tribal children, reduced school dropouts, and the safeguarding of invaluable cultural knowledge. Education in one’s own language is not just a matter of comfort; it is a matter of cognitive effectiveness. Children learn best when taught in their mother tongue. By integrating Ol Chiki into school curricula, India can improve educational outcomes for Santhali children while simultaneously preserving their linguistic heritage.
President Murmu’s call is particularly significant given her own background. As the first tribal woman to hold the office of President, her advocacy for Santhali language and culture carries both symbolic and substantive weight. It signals that the preservation of indigenous heritage is not a fringe concern but a national priority.
Affordable Healthcare Access Is a Necessity
SM Jeeva from Chennai shifts the focus to a different kind of access: access to affordable healthcare. His letter responds to the Punjab Health Department’s directive to enforce generic drug prescriptions in government hospitals—a move he describes as “timely and necessary.”
The context is familiar to anyone who has navigated India’s healthcare system. For years, patients, especially from low-income families, have struggled with rising out-of-pocket medical expenses. The cost of medicines is a major component of this burden. Branded drugs, promoted by pharmaceutical companies and often preferred by doctors, can cost many times more than their generic equivalents—despite containing the same active ingredients and being subject to the same quality standards.
Generic medicines, when properly regulated, can significantly reduce this burden without compromising quality. The Punjab government’s directive is an attempt to make this option the default in public healthcare institutions. It also sends a clear message against the unhealthy nexus often alleged between some sections of the medical fraternity and pharmaceutical companies—a nexus that can influence prescribing practices in ways that benefit corporate profits rather than patient welfare.
But policy directives alone are not enough. Jeeva outlines several practical measures needed to make the reform effective. First, the supply chain must be strengthened so that essential generic medicines are consistently available in hospital pharmacies. Any shortage will push patients back to private chemists, defeating the purpose. Second, Jan Aushadhi Kendras—government pharmacies that sell quality generics at affordable prices—need wider coverage and better public awareness. Third, clear labelling standards and patient education campaigns are essential so that people understand that generics are therapeutically equivalent to branded drugs. Fourth, regular prescription audits and a transparent grievance redressal system can reinforce accountability.
The letter touches on a fundamental issue of social justice. Access to healthcare should not depend on ability to pay. By making generics the norm in public hospitals, the Punjab government is taking a step toward that ideal. But as Jeeva notes, the success of the reform will depend on implementation. Good intentions must be backed by robust systems.
India Leads the AI Conversation
Samiksha Mishra from Jammu offers a third perspective, shifting from the margins to the mainstream, from tradition to technology. She writes about the AI Impact Summit underway in New Delhi, describing it as “a pivotal moment in our global journey into the age of artificial intelligence.”
The summit brings together leaders from governments, industry, technology, and academia to discuss how AI will transform the world. As Mishra notes, AI is no longer confined to laboratories or niche applications. From healthcare and education to agriculture, governance, and creative industries, artificial intelligence is redefining possibilities. Machine learning, generative AI, and advanced data analytics are accelerating decision-making and enabling solutions once thought impossible.
India, already a leader in digital transformation, is positioning itself at the forefront of AI innovation. The focus on responsible and human-centric AI reflects a shared global commitment not only to technological progress but also to ethics, data privacy, and inclusive growth. This is not just about building bigger models or processing more data; it is about ensuring that AI serves humanity, amplifies human potential, and reduces rather than exacerbates inequality.
Mishra’s letter captures the optimism surrounding AI while acknowledging the need for guardrails. The discussions at the summit will shape future policies, industries, and societies worldwide. India’s voice in these discussions matters. As a country with a vast pool of technical talent, a thriving startup ecosystem, and unique challenges that AI can help address, India has both the capacity and the need to be a leader.
The Common Thread
What connects these three letters—Santhali language preservation, generic drug access, and AI leadership? At first glance, very little. But a closer look reveals a common theme: the struggle for inclusion and empowerment in a rapidly changing world.
The Santhali community seeks inclusion in the linguistic mainstream, recognition of its identity, and empowerment through education in its own language. Patients seeking affordable healthcare seek inclusion in a system that often excludes the poor, empowerment to make informed choices about their treatment. India’s AI ambitions seek inclusion in the global technological frontier, empowerment to shape a future that will affect every aspect of life.
Each of these struggles is about ensuring that the benefits of progress—whether linguistic recognition, medical affordability, or technological innovation—reach those who need them most. Each is about building a society that is not just modern, but just.
Conclusion: The Nation in Miniature
A letters page is a small thing, a collection of brief opinions from ordinary citizens. But taken together, these letters offer a portrait of the nation in miniature. They show us what people care about, what they fear, what they hope for.
In these three letters, we see a country grappling with its diversity, its inequalities, and its ambitions. We see a President advocating for indigenous heritage, a state government trying to make healthcare affordable, and a nation positioning itself at the cutting edge of technology. We see challenges and opportunities, problems and solutions.
The Santhali language, the generic drug, the AI algorithm—each is a site of struggle and possibility. How India navigates these struggles will determine not just the fate of particular communities or sectors, but the character of the nation itself.
Q&A: Unpacking the Letters
Q1: Why is the preservation of the Ol Chiki script important for the Santhali community?
A: Ol Chiki is the alphabetic script specifically designed to represent Santhali sounds phonetically and scientifically. Its preservation is important for several reasons: it maintains the linguistic identity of the Santhali community, enables literacy and education in the mother tongue, reduces school dropouts among tribal children, and safeguards invaluable cultural knowledge that is embedded in the language. As many tribal languages are primarily oral, written scripts like Ol Chiki are essential for documentation and transmission to future generations. President Murmu’s call for its preservation aligns with constitutional values of linguistic diversity and inclusive governance.
Q2: What is the significance of the Punjab Health Department’s directive on generic drugs?
A: The directive mandates that government hospitals prescribe generic drugs rather than branded versions. This is significant because generic drugs contain the same active ingredients as branded drugs, are subject to the same quality standards when properly regulated, but cost significantly less. For low-income patients, this can dramatically reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses. The directive also challenges the alleged nexus between some medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies that can influence prescribing practices. However, as the letter notes, success depends on consistent availability of generics, wider coverage of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, patient education, and accountability mechanisms.
Q3: What are the key challenges in implementing generic drug prescriptions effectively?
A: Several challenges must be addressed. First, supply chain reliability: essential generic medicines must be consistently available in hospital pharmacies; shortages will push patients back to private chemists. Second, awareness: patients need to understand that generics are therapeutically equivalent to branded drugs. Third, coverage: Jan Aushadhi Kendras need to be expanded and promoted. Fourth, accountability: regular prescription audits and transparent grievance redressal are needed to ensure compliance and address issues. Without these supporting measures, the policy directive may not achieve its intended impact.
Q4: How is India positioning itself in the global AI landscape?
A: India is positioning itself as a leader in AI innovation, building on its strengths in digital transformation. The AI Impact Summit in New Delhi brings together global leaders to discuss AI’s transformative potential across sectors like healthcare, education, agriculture, and governance. India’s focus on “responsible and human-centric AI” reflects a commitment to ethics, data privacy, and inclusive growth alongside technological progress. With its vast technical talent pool, thriving startup ecosystem, and unique developmental challenges, India has both the capacity and the need to shape the global AI conversation.
Q5: What common themes connect the three letters in this collection?
A: Despite their different subjects, the three letters share common themes of inclusion and empowerment. The Santhali community seeks linguistic inclusion and empowerment through education in its own language. Patients seeking affordable healthcare seek inclusion in a system that often excludes the poor. India’s AI ambitions seek inclusion in the global technological frontier and empowerment to shape a future that affects everyone. Each letter addresses a struggle to ensure that progress—whether linguistic recognition, medical affordability, or technological innovation—benefits those who need it most. Together, they reflect a nation grappling with diversity, inequality, and ambition.
