MOḌĪ SCRIPT

May 5, 2019

The cursive Moḍī script — a script formerly used to write Marathi in addition to Devanagari and once an essential part of Marathi literary culture — is now on the verge of extinction.

About:

Names: Moḍī script is also known as Mudiya. The word moḍī is derived from the Marathi verb modne, to break. Moḍī literally means ‘broken (script),’ a reference to its flowing form, with its rounded, looping strokes, all features that lent themselves well to the script’s swift reproduction by scribes on paper.
Language: It is a script used to write the Marathi language, the state language of Maharashtra.
Relation with Devanagari: The script developed from a cursive form of Devanagari, so shares a number of features with, and is visually similar to, that script.
Cursive Features: The Moḍī script has several characteristics facilitate writing so that moving from one character to the next miminises lifting the pen from the paper for dipping in ink. Thus, MOḌĪ was a sort of “cursive” style of writing Marathi.
History:
- Moḍī emerged in the 1400s as a shorthand variant of the Devanagari used by scribes. It was used until the 1950s for writing Marathi. Now the Balbodh style of Devnagari is the primary script used to write Marathi.
- Moḍī is considered by many to be extinct, although it is still used on a very limited scale for personal correspondence. Efforts are underway to preserve knowledge of the script before the last generation of frequent users dies.