The guardian of the Champa script.

TP - In the hurried flow of the digital age, when ancient values ​​are easily forgotten under the dust of time, there is a teacher quietly "weaving" back the soul of her nation. For Ms. Han Thi Kim Anh (Akhar Thrah), it's not just the swirling characters on the page, but the breath, the soul of the thousand-year-old Champa kingdom.

Lullabies from the cradle and destiny with Akhar Thrah

Amidst the scorching sun and dry winds of the South Central coastal region, where moss-covered Cham towers stand silently gazing at the clouds, an underground cultural current flows silently, persistently, and powerfully. This isn't the artifact lying dormant in a museum, but the Akhar Thrah script (the traditional Cham alphabet) being revived by the hands of a local teacher. She's not just teaching the alphabet; she's "weaving" the very soul of the thousand-year-old Cham Pa kingdom with a heart deeply devoted to its identity.

In Tan Duc village, Phuoc Huu commune, Khanh Hoa province, if you ask about teacher Han Thi Kim Anh (49 years old), people will immediately point you to Tan Duc Primary School - where the sound of reading aloud in her mother tongue still resonates regularly every day. Ms. Kim Anh greeted us with a gentle smile, her face radiant with the pride of a true Cham ethnic woman.

Kim Anh recalls that her story begins in her distant childhood: "From the moment I was born, lying in my cradle, I grew up listening to the sweet lullabies in the Cham language sung by my grandmother and mother." In her childhood memories, the most beautiful image wasn't the toys, but the ancient texts of her grandparents and parents, with their flowing, elegant calligraphy. These characters were not just symbols; they were enchanting works of art, an invisible thread binding her love to her ethnic heritage.

Growing up, she chose a career teaching children, instructing them in basic subjects according to the general curriculum. However, amidst her math and Vietnamese lessons, the young teacher's heart ached as she thought about the Cham writing system, a source of pride that was gradually fading away. The children in the village could speak Cham, but when they looked at the Akhar Thrah script, they were bewildered, as if looking at a strange ancient artifact. The fear of a generation becoming illiterate in their mother tongue became the driving force behind her actions.

A turning point in her life came in 2007, when the Ministry of Education and Training officially introduced the Cham language program into schools. For Kim Anh, this was a cultural "renaissance." With a foundation of knowledge absorbed since childhood and the vibrant Cham blood flowing through her veins, she volunteered to attend advanced training courses.

Upon returning to school, she completely switched to teaching the Cham language. That was when the "soul" of Cham culture within her truly surged most strongly. On the podium, the Akhar Thrah script, which had previously lay dormant in museums or ancient texts, was now vividly brought to life by her through each stroke of white chalk. She not only taught the script, but also how to sing folk songs, and how to understand the customs, traditions, and way of thinking of the ancients through each character. "The Cham script is flowing and intricate; at first glance, people think it's very difficult, but in reality, it's very easy to learn if you put your heart into it," Ms. Kim Anh shared.

"Reviving" the spirit of Champa on the giảng platform.