Modi script

Infobox Writing system
name=IAST|Moḍī
sample=Verse_in_marathi_modi_script.pngcaption=A verse from Dnyaneshwari in IAST|Moḍī script
time=c. 1600–c. 1950
type=Abugida
fam1=Proto-Canaanite alphabet ^[a]
fam2=Phoenician alphabet ^[a]
fam3=Aramaic alphabet ^[a]
footnotes= [a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
fam4=Brāhmī
fam5=Gupta
fam6=Nāgarī
fam7=Devanāgarī
sisters=Gujarati
Ranjana
languages=Marathi, Sanskrit

IAST|Moḍī (मोडी) is the name of one of the scripts used to write the Marathi language, which is the primary language spoken in the state of Maharashtra in western India. There are several theories about the origin of this script. One of them claims that it was developed by Hemadpant (or Hemadri Pandit) during the reign of Mahadev Yadav and Ramdev Yadav (1260-1309). Others claim that it was brought by Hemandpant from Sri Lanka.

In any case, there seems to be consensus among scholars that the word "IAST|Moḍī" is a translation of the Persian word "Shikasta", which means "breaking". Modi was developed as a faster way of writing Marathi as compared to the more complicated Devanagari script. This was done by "breaking" some of the characters of the alphabet (to make them simpler) and also by making them more "circular" in shape, which aided in moving from one character to the next without lifting the pen from the paper. Thus, Modi was a sort of "cursive" (not "shorthand") style of writing Marathi, although reading it may not have been as easy.

Charles Wilkins developed IAST|Moḍī metal types, which were used to a limited extent to publish books. The script was still in use until around 1950, when it was officially discontinued due to the difficulty in printing with this script. All Marathi writing since then has been written and printed in the Devanagari script, which is the same script as is used to write Hindi and some other Indian languages.

Some linguists in Pune have recently begun trying to revive the script.

External links

* [http://marathimodi.tripod.com/home.html More information on Modi, including a tutorial]