Runa Laila's Song Inspired Creation of Written Script for Endangered Toto Language

Legendary Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila has expressed deep emotion upon learning that her song "Tumi Ami Likhi Praner Bornomala" inspired the creation of a written alphabet for the endangered Toto language. Dhoniram Toto, a member of the Toto community in West Bengal's Totopara village near the Bhutan border, heard the word "bornomala" (alphabet) in her song on the radio nearly four decades ago. This sparked his realization that the Toto language, which existed only in spoken form, lacked its own script.

Motivated by this insight, Dhoniram spent years developing what is now known as "Toto-Horof" or the "Totviko Alphabet", helping preserve the linguistic heritage of one of India's smallest indigenous groups. His contribution earned him the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours. Another community member, Bhakta Toto, has also worked to document the language using the Bangla alphabet.

Runa Laila described the impact as humbling, noting that music's influence can extend far beyond entertainment to culturally important preservation work.