Khudabadi script

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Khudabadi
𑊻𑋩𑋣𑋏𑋠𑋔𑋠𑋏𑋢
The word "Sindhi" written in the Khudabadi script
Script type
Time period
c. 16th century–present
DirectionLeft-to-right 
Unicode range
U+112B0–U+112FF
[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
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Brahmic scripts
The Brahmi script and its descendants
Northern Brahmic
Southern Brahmic

Khudabadi (देवदेन/ Devden) was a script used to write the

Khojki and Devanagari script.[2] It was used by traders and merchants to record their information and rose to importance as the script began to be used to record information kept secret from other non-Sindhi groups.[citation needed
]

Chart of the Khudabadi Script

History

Extract from the Parable of the Prodigal Son in 'improved' Khudawadi-script Sindhi, from the Linguistic Survey of India by George Grierson (1919, p. 101)
Cover page of a book written in Standard Sindhi (Khudabadi)

The Khudabadi script has roots in the

Gurmukhi or Devanagari, but a closer examination reveals they are similar except for angles and structure.[4]

The Khudabadi script was created by the

Sindhi diaspora residing in Khudabad to send written messages to their relatives, who lived in their hometowns. Due to its simplicity, the use of this script spread very quickly and got acceptance in other Sindhi groups for sending written letters and messages. It continued to be in use for very long period of time. Because it was originated from Khudabad, it was called Khudabadi script.[5] The Sindhi traders started maintaining their accounts and other business books in this new script. The knowledge of Khudabadi script became important for employing people who intend to go to overseas so that their business accounts and books can be kept secret from foreign people and government officials. Schools started teaching the Sindhi language in Khudabadi script.[6]

After

Perso-Arabic script and traders keeping their business records in Khudabadi which was completely unknown to the British at the time. The British called it 'Hindu Sindhi' to differentiate it from Sindhi written in the Perso-Arabic script. The British scholars found the Sindhi language to be closer to Sanskrit and said that the Devanagari script would be suitable for it while the government servants favoured the Arabic script since they did not know Devanagari and had to learn it. A debate began, with Captain Richard Francis Burton favoring the Arabic script and Captain Stack favouring Devanagari.[7]

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 to be used 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 Muslims 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 Abjad script used for Sindhi with the Khudabadi script. The script was decreed a standard script modified with ten vowels by the Bombay Presidency.[8] The Khudabadi script of Sindhi language did not make further progress. Traders continued to maintain their records in this script till the independence of Pakistan in 1947.

The present script predominantly used in Sindh as well as in many states in India and else, where migrants Hindu Sindhi have settled, is Arabic in Naskh styles having 52 letters. However, in some circles in India, Khudabadi and Devanagari is used for writing Sindhi. The Government of India recognizes both scripts.[7]

Alphabet

Khudabadi is an

Matras are used to change the inherent vowel. Vowels that appear at the beginning of a word are written as independent letters. When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols
are used which combine the essential parts of each letter.

Modern Khudabadi has 37 consonants, 10 vowels, 9 vowel signs written as

Landa scripts
.

Vowels
𑊰 𑊱 𑊲 𑊳 𑊴 𑊵 𑊶 𑊷 𑊸 𑊹
ə a ɪ i ʊ uː e ɛ o ɔ
Consonants
𑊺 𑊻 𑊼 𑊽 𑊾 𑊿
k kʰ ɡ ɠ ɡʱ ŋ
𑋀 𑋁 𑋂 𑋃 𑋄 𑋅
c cʰ ɟ ʄ ɟʱ ɲ
𑋆 𑋇 𑋈 𑋉 𑋋 𑋊 𑋌
ʈ ʈʰ ɖ ɗ ɖʱ ɽ ɳ
𑋍 𑋎 𑋏 𑋐 𑋑
t tʰ d dʱ n
𑋒 𑋓 𑋓𑋩 𑋔 𑋕 𑋖 𑋗
p pʰ f b ɓ bʱ m
𑋘 𑋙 𑋚 𑋛
j r l ʋ
𑋜 𑋝 𑋞
ʃ s h

Numerals

Khudabadi numerals 𑋰 𑋱 𑋲 𑋳 𑋴 𑋵 𑋶 𑋷 𑋸 𑋹
Hindu-Arabic numerals 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Unicode

See also: Khudawadi (Unicode block)

Khudabadi script was added to the Unicode Standard in June 2014 with the release of version 7.0.

Khudabadi is being used as the unified encoding for all of the Sindhi scripts except for

Khojki
, because each Sindhi script is named after the mercantile village in which it was used, and a vast majority are not well-developed enough to be encoded. Local scripts may be encoded in the future, but at the present, Khudabadi is recommended to represent all of the Landa-based Sindhi scripts that have been in use.

The Unicode block for Khudabadi, called Khudawadi, is U+112B0–U+112FF:

Khudawadi[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)
  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
U+112Bx 𑊰 𑊱 𑊲 𑊳 𑊴 𑊵 𑊶 𑊷 𑊸 𑊹 𑊺 𑊻 𑊼 𑊽 𑊾 𑊿
U+112Cx 𑋀 𑋁 𑋂 𑋃 𑋄 𑋅 𑋆 𑋇 𑋈 𑋉 𑋊 𑋋 𑋌 𑋍 𑋎 𑋏
U+112Dx 𑋐 𑋑 𑋒 𑋓 𑋔 𑋕 𑋖 𑋗 𑋘 𑋙 𑋚 𑋛 𑋜 𑋝 𑋞 𑋟
U+112Ex 𑋠 𑋡 𑋢 𑋣 𑋤 𑋥 𑋦 𑋧 𑋨 𑋩 𑋪
U+112Fx 𑋰 𑋱 𑋲 𑋳 𑋴 𑋵 𑋶 𑋷 𑋸 𑋹
Notes
1.^ As of Unicode version 15.1
2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

See also

References

  1. ^ "Landa script".
  2. OCLC 1604024
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0415772945
    , pages 72-74
  5. ^ Purswani, Gangaram Shamdas (2009). Incredible Origin and History of Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar Community. Anil Computer & Consultations.
  6. ISBN 9788170222354
    .
  7. ^ a b "Sindhi Language: Script". Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Omniglot: Sindhi alphabets, pronunciation and language". Retrieved 15 May 2012.
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