Tolong Siki (, ) is an alphabetic script created specifically for the Kurux language in 1999 by Narayan Oraon, a doctor. Many books and magazines have been published in Tolong Siki, and it was officially recognised by the state of Jharkhand in 2007. The Kurukh Literary Society of India has been instrumental in spreading the Tolong Siki script for Kurukh literature.
Etymology The name Tolong Siki is derived from two Kurukh terms: Tolong: Refers to a traditional garment (loincloth) worn by men in the Kurukh community. The script's creator, Dr. Narayan Oraon, used the styles of wrapping this garment as inspiration for the shapes of the letters. Siki: A modified version of the word Sika, which refers to the traditional practice of branding marks on the arms or skin, often used to denote identity or endurance. In this context, it simply means "script" or "symbol."
Vowels Tolong Siki contains 6 basic vowel letters: + Tolong Siki Vowels(, )
Consonants Tolong Siki represents native consonant sounds using a basic inventory of 36 letters: + Tolong Siki Consonants(, )
Numerals Tolong Siki has its own set of decimal digits (0–9) that function identically to standard Western numerals. + Tolong Siki Digits( , )
Sample text The following text is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written in Tolong Siki:
Kurukh in Tolong Siki
Romanisation
Translation Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Unicode
Tolong Siki was added to the Unicode Standard in September 2025 with the release of version 17.0.
The Unicode block for Tolong Siki is U+11DB0–U+11DEF:
Gallery
See also Kurukh language Kurukh Banna Kurukh people Dravidian Languages Languages of India
References
Notes
Sources