Legendary Bangladeshi vocalist Runa Laila recently shared her deep sentiment upon discovering that one of her songs served as the catalyst for devising a written script for a marginalized indigenous language in India.
The esteemed singer expressed her gratitude for the role her timeless track “Tumi Ami Likhi Praner Bornomala” played in safeguarding the cultural heritage of an indigenous community.
This revelation surfaced when Dhoniram Toto, a member of the Toto tribe in West Bengal, India, found inspiration in Laila’s song while formulating a script for their endangered language.
The Toto tribe, among India’s smallest and most ancient indigenous communities residing in Totopara village near the Bhutan border in Alipurduar district, had solely preserved their language orally, lacking a written form, posing a risk of gradual erosion.
Dhoniram Toto shared that the inception of creating a script stemmed from hearing the word “bornomala” (alphabet) in Runa Laila’s song on the radio almost four decades ago. This prompted him to contemplate why the Toto language lacked its own script compared to other languages.
Driven by this realization, he dedicated years to research and eventually crafted a script now recognized as “Toto-Horof” or the “Totviko Alphabet.”
His remarkable endeavor in conserving the linguistic legacy of the community culminated in him receiving the prestigious Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian accolades.
Another member of the Toto tribe, Bhakta Toto, has also been instrumental in documenting the language using the Bangla alphabet as part of initiatives to uphold the community’s cultural essence.
For Runa Laila, this narrative underscores the profound impact of music beyond mere entertainment.
“To comprehend that a song can inspire individuals beyond the realm of amusement and contribute to something as culturally significant is truly humbling,” she remarked.
