Khudabadi script
Encyclopedia
Khudabadi script is a script used for writing the Sindhi language
.
community. The members of the Swarnakar community, while residing in Khudabad
around 1550 CE, felt it necessary to invent a very simple script so that they can send written messages to their relations, who were living far away from them in their own home towns. This necessity mothered the invention of a new script. The new script had forty one consonants but no vowels. And was to be written from left to right, like Sanskrit. It continued to be in use for very long period of time among Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar. Due to its simplicity, the use of this script spread very quickly and got acceptance in other Sindhi communities, for sending written communications. Because it was originated from Khudabad, it was called Khudabadi script.
The Sindhi traders started maintaining their accounts and other business books in this new script and therefore, later, the Khudabadi script became known as Vaniki, Hatvaniki or Hatkai script. Suddenly, the knowledge of Khudabadi script became an important criterion for employing new persons who intend to go to Sindhwark (overseas), so that their business accounts and books can be kept secret from foreign people and government officials. The Khudabadi script became very popular in Sindh, to the extent that the schools started teaching the Sindhi language in Khudabadi script.
Sindhi language is now generally written in the Arabic script, but it belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family, and over seventy percent of Sindhi words are of Sanskrit origin. Even 300 years after the Arab conquest, at the time of Mohammed Ghaznavi, the historian Al-Biruni
found Sindhi written in three scripts – Ardhanagari
, Saindhu and Malwari, all of them variations of Devanagari
. When the British arrived they found the Pandits writing Sindhi in Devanagari, Hindu women using Gurmukhi, government servants using some form of Arabic script and traders keeping their business records in an entirely unknown script called Khudabadi.
The British scholars found the Sindhi language to be Sanskritic and said that the Devanagari script would be suitable for it, while the government servants, many of whom were Hindus, favoured the Arabic script, since they did not know Devanagari and had to learn it anew. A debate began, with Captain Richard Francis Burton favouring the Arabic script and Captain Stack
favouring Devanagari. Sir Bartle Frere, the Commissioner of Sindh, then referred the matter to the Court of Directors of the British East India Company, which directed that:
In the year 1868, the Bombay Presidency assigned Narayan Jagannath Vaidya (Deputy Educational Inspector of Sindh) to replace the Abiad used in Sindhi, with the Khudabadi script. The script was decreed a standard script (modified with ten vowels) by the Bombay Presidency. The Khudabadi script of Sindhi language could not further progress due to absence of vowels, and it still remained limited to the traders only. The traders continued to maintain their business records in this script until the Partition of India
in 1947.
, an orientalist
, with the help of local scholars Munshi Thanwardas and Mirza Sadiq Ali Beg evolved a 52-letter Sindhi alphabet. Since the Arabic script could not express Sindhi sounds, a scheme of dots was worked out for the purpose. As a result, the Sindhi script today, not only has all its own sounds, but, also all the four z's of Arabic. The present script predominantly used in Sindh as well as in many states in India and else, where migrants Sindhi have settled, is Arabic in Naksh styles having 52 letters. However, in some circles in India, Devanagari is used for writing Sindhi. The Government of India recognizes both scripts. It is now being proposed to encode the Khudabad script for Sindhi Language.
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
.
History
The Khudabadi script was invented by the Khudabadi Sindhi SwarankarKhudabadi Sindhi Swarankar
The Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar is a Kshatriya Hindu cultural group of India, historically associated with the city of Khudabad as well as city of Hyderabad of Sindh region of modern Pakistan prior to the Partition of India...
community. The members of the Swarnakar community, while residing in Khudabad
Khudabad
Khudabad is a city in Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan. It is located at 26°39'0N 67°45'0E with an altitude of 31 metres and lies to the south of the district capital Dadu.-History:...
around 1550 CE, felt it necessary to invent a very simple script so that they can send written messages to their relations, who were living far away from them in their own home towns. This necessity mothered the invention of a new script. The new script had forty one consonants but no vowels. And was to be written from left to right, like Sanskrit. It continued to be in use for very long period of time among Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar. Due to its simplicity, the use of this script spread very quickly and got acceptance in other Sindhi communities, for sending written communications. Because it was originated from Khudabad, it was called Khudabadi script.
The Sindhi traders started maintaining their accounts and other business books in this new script and therefore, later, the Khudabadi script became known as Vaniki, Hatvaniki or Hatkai script. Suddenly, the knowledge of Khudabadi script became an important criterion for employing new persons who intend to go to Sindhwark (overseas), so that their business accounts and books can be kept secret from foreign people and government officials. The Khudabadi script became very popular in Sindh, to the extent that the schools started teaching the Sindhi language in Khudabadi script.
Sindhi language is now generally written in the Arabic script, but it belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family, and over seventy percent of Sindhi words are of Sanskrit origin. Even 300 years after the Arab conquest, at the time of Mohammed Ghaznavi, the historian Al-Biruni
Al-Biruni
Abū al-Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-BīrūnīArabic spelling. . The intermediate form Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī is often used in academic literature...
found Sindhi written in three scripts – Ardhanagari
Ardhanagari
Ardhanagari , an abugida, was a mixture of Nagari, used in Malwa, particularly Ujjain, and Siddha Matrika or the Siddham script, a variant of the Sharada script used in Kashmir....
, Saindhu and Malwari, all of them variations of Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
. When the British arrived they found the Pandits writing Sindhi in Devanagari, Hindu women using Gurmukhi, government servants using some form of Arabic script and traders keeping their business records in an entirely unknown script called Khudabadi.
Under British rule
After Mir Naseer Khan Talpur´s defeat, British rule commenced in Sind. In the year 1846, Hyderabad saw its own Municipal Corporation. The British Government appointed Mukhi Hiranand as a member of Board of Municipal Corporation. The Collector of Hyderabad used the services of Diwan Bagomal Mukhtiarkar (District Administrator) who knew Arabi Sindhi (written in Arabic script). Mukhi Hiranand knew only Sindhi written in Khudabadi Script. This caused great inconvenience to Collector. Diwan Bagomal, realizing his handicap, learned Sindhi in Khudabadi script from Mukhi Hiranand and obtained a certificate of proficiency from him. This arrangement made office administration work of the Collector easier.The British scholars found the Sindhi language to be Sanskritic and said that the Devanagari script would be suitable for it, while the government servants, many of whom were Hindus, favoured the Arabic script, since they did not know Devanagari and had to learn it anew. A debate began, with Captain Richard Francis Burton favouring the Arabic script and Captain Stack
favouring Devanagari. Sir Bartle Frere, the Commissioner of Sindh, then referred the matter to the Court of Directors of the British East India Company, which directed that:
- The Sindhi Language in Arabic Script for government office use, on the ground that Muslim names could not be written in Devanagari.
- The Education Department should give the instructions to the schools in the script of Sindhi which can meet the circumstance and prejudices of the Mohammadan and Hindu. It is thought necessary to have Arabic Sindhi Schools for Mohammadan where the Arabic Script will be employed for teaching and to have Hindu Sindhi Schools for Hindus where the Khudabadi Script will be employed for teaching.
In the year 1868, the Bombay Presidency assigned Narayan Jagannath Vaidya (Deputy Educational Inspector of Sindh) to replace the Abiad used in Sindhi, with the Khudabadi script. The script was decreed a standard script (modified with ten vowels) by the Bombay Presidency. The Khudabadi script of Sindhi language could not further progress due to absence of vowels, and it still remained limited to the traders only. The traders continued to maintain their business records in this script until the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947.
Competing Sindhi scripts
In July 1853, Sir Richard Francis BurtonRichard Francis Burton
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS was a British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas as well as his...
, an orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
, with the help of local scholars Munshi Thanwardas and Mirza Sadiq Ali Beg evolved a 52-letter Sindhi alphabet. Since the Arabic script could not express Sindhi sounds, a scheme of dots was worked out for the purpose. As a result, the Sindhi script today, not only has all its own sounds, but, also all the four z's of Arabic. The present script predominantly used in Sindh as well as in many states in India and else, where migrants Sindhi have settled, is Arabic in Naksh styles having 52 letters. However, in some circles in India, Devanagari is used for writing Sindhi. The Government of India recognizes both scripts. It is now being proposed to encode the Khudabad script for Sindhi Language.
See also
- Khudabadi Sindhi SwarankarKhudabadi Sindhi SwarankarThe Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar is a Kshatriya Hindu cultural group of India, historically associated with the city of Khudabad as well as city of Hyderabad of Sindh region of modern Pakistan prior to the Partition of India...
- KhudabadKhudabadKhudabad is a city in Dadu District, Sindh, Pakistan. It is located at 26°39'0N 67°45'0E with an altitude of 31 metres and lies to the south of the district capital Dadu.-History:...
- Panchayati HallPanchayati HallPanchayati Hall is a Hindu temple devoted to the goddess Durga and Lord Shiva, located in Jaipur, India.-Post Partition:After Partition of India , most of the Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar families migrated from Pakistan and settled in Jaipur, India. In early 1948, Shri Jhamandas F...
- BhaibandBhaibandBhaiband, meaning “brotherhood”, a Jāti designating the higher segment of the Kshatriya Lohana caste in the Hindus of Sindh & Balochistan who are of Rajput Suryavanshi lineage...
- PurswaniPurswaniThe Purswani family is a branch of the Bhambrai Bradri grouping of families, which is the largest grouping among the Khudabadi Sonara community. In the present day, the majority of them live in Jaipur, India.-Etymology:...
External links
- Script, SindhiLanguage.com