Modi Script Has A Glorious History; Should Be Kept Alive: Expert

The Modi script has a glorious history. It existed since the time of the rule of the Yadavs and changed over time.

Amravati:Before 1950, Modi script was taught in schools. A class 2 textbook in Modi script of 1888 is still available. The glorious history of Maharashtra is also written in Modi script. If we study the Modi script, we can dwell on the history more. There are a lot of employment opportunities for those learning the Modi script.

Mahesh Joshi, a Modi script expert travelled all the way to Amravati in Vidarbha from Pune to conduct a workshop on the Modi script. The workshop is being held at the Bhagwantrao Shivajirao Patil College.

They said that people refer to Modi as a language but it is wrong. "Modi was never a language, it was a script. If you read the Modi script, you will understand that every word in the Modi script is there in the Marathi language. Modi script has been there for 700 years from the time the Yadavs ruled. With time, the script changed and it became clean. The documents of the Yadav era are not available, Mahesh Joshi told ETV Bharat.

A Modi script textbook of 1888 (ETV Bharat)

Joshi also said that the letters of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj era are available. "They are not however in original form as the British set on fire a place on the Raigad Fort, which was the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he added.

He further said that most of the documents from the Modi script are available from the Peshwa era. "The Peshwas gave the status of state language to Modi script and so several documents of their era are available. There are five crore documents available only in Pune. There are documents of Modi script available in Mumbai, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. There are some families, who also have documents in Modi script," Joshi added.

He also said that in Maharashtra Modi script was taught in the schools till 1950. "A second standard textbook in Modi script from 1888 is still available. There is a story of a cap-seller in it. The story is related to a cap seller and a monkey. There is a chapter at the start. The story then came to be known after it was published in English and Hindi books. Sometimes the cap seller was identified as Ramu while at times he was Karim," Joshi added.

He also said that messages were transacted through Modi script during the rule of the Marathas. "During that period, Modi script was used as a hidden script," Joshi added.

He also said that a Russian professor Pechakav, Madam Elizabeth from The Netherlands and people from other countries learned the Modi script in India. "William Keri had made a dictionary Modi to English in 1818," he added.

"Children, adults and elderly people come to me to learn the Modi script. This is the first workshop I am taking in Paratwada. I have been taking workshops for the last five years at the Shrimati Radhabai Sarda Arts and Commerce College in Anjangoan Surji. A lot of children from Anjangaon Surji learned the script. It is easy to learn the Modi script," he added.

According to Joshi, if we do not pay attention to the script, it will vanish in the future. Finally, he appealed people to learn the script to keep it alive.