Eedited

REVIVAL OF GURMUKHI
Reading and Writing

Research Study, May 2010- November 2011
Name of Applicant:
Harleen Singh Bachelor of Technology Fashion Communication (2008-2011) Ms. Dimple Bahl Assistant Professor Department of Fashion Communication National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi Ms. Rupinder Kaur Assistant Professor Department of Fashion Communication National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
Main Advisor:
Co- Advisor:
This document is a property of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Copyright 2011
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This project began as a seminar paper during my four year undergraduate degree progam at the Naion Institute of Fashion Technology . Since then, it has matured into its current form. There are a number of people who deserve recognition for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this project. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. First and foremost, I want to thank my thesis advisor, Ms Rupinder Kaur for her support and constructive criticism. This project could have not been completed without her enthusiasm and direction. I also want to thank Ms. Pika Gupta for pushing me to understanding a thesis process and encouraging my independence; Ms. Anupreet Duggal, for expanding my understanding of cultural intiatives & programs and her constant mentorship. Also, a special thank you to Ms. Suruchi Mittar for uncovering my passion for Gurmukhi and beginning this project with me. Finally, I want to thank my family. My parents, especially, have been a source of strength and support for me. They continually push me to think critically and never settle for anything less than my best. They kept me focused, on track and helped me gather more information in the final stretch of my project. For their continual support, I am forever grateful.
ABSTRACT
As a part of the four year undergraduate degree course, students at the National Institute of Fashion Technology are asked to choose an area of communication that they would like to study and write a seminar paper on the same. The research process is carried forward in 3 semesters dring which students undertake various forms of secondary and primary research to find relevant information, facts and figures to support their study. The topic of research for this seminar paper was Gurmukhi. Gurmukhi is the script for Punjabi language. It was formulated by the Sikh Gurus to spread the teachings of the Gurus to all people of the community without discrimination on the basis of caste, color or creed. The script, Gurmukhi, is of great importance and relevance to the people of the Sikh community. However, due to changes in lifestyle, culture and generation gap, people of the Sikh community are no longer encouraging the use of Gurmukhi. There is fair amount of decrease in the number of people speaking, reading or writing the script. This is the main concern for this research paper. Since the script is loosing its identity in the community and moreover in the society, this issue comes in the boundaries of language extinction as there are no new speakers, reader or writiers of the script. To justify and support the issue, various forms of secondary anf primary data have been collected, compiled and analyzed to provide concrete facts on the current status and future scope of Gurmukhi. On the basis of the primary and secondary research, a formal conclusion was made. On the basis of the conclusions, several types of ideas, concepts and design interventions were explored. Various forms of suggestions were made to help the respective problem/issue. This document is a compliation of all the related processes undertaken during three semesters of research on the Revival of Gurmukhi: Reading and Writing.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Overview Statement of the problem and identification of study variables Significance of the problem Research hypotheses Definitions Assumptions and limitations of the research Research/project justification Organization of the thesis/report Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Framework for literature review Gurmukhi: Introduction History and evolution Association with other scripts Anatomy of letterforms Similar case studies and related articles Chapter 3: METHODS Determination of research design Research design Data collection Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS Demographics of the population Testing of hypotheses Validity within the study Chapter 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary Conclusions Recommendations REFERENCES 09 12 13 14 15
16 18 19 20 22 24 28 42 43 43 44 45 46 47 48 52 57 57 58 59 67
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Overview
Language is a tool of communication, not only among people of the same ocmmunity but also among people from different communities. It is a tool of expression, cultural teachings and values. However, it seems that we are becoming slaves of the internationlly accepted norms and forgetting our roots. It is time that we realize the need for getting back to our roots and givning it due importance. This document cum mini-thesis is a compilation of research on the need of promotion and revival of one such language, Gurmukhi. There is a value to language that cannot be reduced to the utilitarian ability to communicate with those around you. The diversity of languages is endlessly fascinating, but also contains a whole set of allusions and definitions which are bearers of knowledge. Language determines the way people express themselves and, arguably, the way they think. For example, Chinese and Japanese have no past, present or future tenses. The existence of a variety of languages results in varying modes of expression and is consequently a stimulus to creativity. This is of benefit to a nation as a whole. Language is a central component of cultural identity. It acts as a binding force and marker of group identities. For example, the definition of Basque is those who speak in the Basque tongue. Likewise, the Roman, who have no land and no clear defining characteristics, rely on their Romany language to maintain a cultural identity. The same is true of the Orang Asli in Malaysia. By helping to forge these communities language contributes to social stability. A shared language aids social cohesion by providing its speakers with a ready-made support network. This in turn has been linked with reducing feelings of social dislocation and related problems, such as crime. Language diversity is essential to the human heritage. Each and every language embodies the unique cultural wisdom of a people. The loss of any language is thus a loss for all humanity. Although approximately 6,000 languages still exist, many are under threat. There is an imperative need for language documentation, new policy initiatives and new materials to enhance the vitality of these languages. The cooperative efforts of language communities, language professionals, NGOs and governments will be indispensable in countering this threat. There is a pressing need to build support for language communities in their efforts to establish meaningful new roles for their endangered languages.
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A language is endangered when it is on the path towards extinction. A language is in danger when its speakers cease to use it, use it in an increasingly reduced number of communicative domains, and cease to pass it on from one generation to the next. That is, there are no new speakers, either adults or children. This is a result of economic, religious, cultural or educational subjugation or it may be caused by internal forces, such as a communitys negative attitude towards its own language. Internal pressures often have their source in external ones, and both halt the intergenerational transmission of linguistic and cultural traditions. Many indigenous peoples, associating their disadvantaged social position with their culture, have come to believe that their languages are not worth retaining. They abandon their languages and cultures in hopes of overcoming discrimination, to secure a livelihood, and enhance social mobility, or to assimilate to the global marketplace. The world faces new challenges in keeping its languages alive and meaningful. It is time for the people of the world to pool their resources and to build on the strengths of their linguistic and cultural diversity. This entails sharing resources at all levels: individual language specialists; local speech community; NGOs; governmental and
institutional organizations. Language specialists can identify what is required and provide support for language communities to maintain and enhance their languages. When speech communities request support to reinforce their threatened languages, language specialists should make their skills available to these communities in terms of planning, implementation and evaluation. Both speech community and language specialists should be involved at all points in the language vitalization process and national and international organizations should provide continuous support to these activities. If we look at third generation Pakistani children, they can speak fluent Urdu/Panjabi. On the other hand, most second generation young Punjabis cannot speak fluent Panjabi. This is very worrying, considering the Panjabi language and Gurmukhi script is an integral part of Sikh heritage, culture, and religion. All Gursikhs should be able to speak Panjabi. The Sikh Gurus formulated the Gurmukhi lipi (script) to make the teachings of the Gurus available to everyone without discrimination of caste or creed and the Punjabi language is the language of the Sikh Nation. If it had not been for the
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Guru Sahibs and Sikhs, there would be no Punjab. A nation without its mother tongue is doomed. The best example is the Africans who were made into slaves. They were deprived of their mother tongue. When they would speak their native language they would be beaten. Eventually they lost all culture, history, and religion and become slaves of western culture and adopted the names of the White masters. But, the question here is, who do we blame for this? Is it because of cultural influences and lifestyle changes? Or is it because todays generation is too busy becoming slaves of the western culture that pressurizes them to only speak or write in an internationally acknowledged language ? Maybe its just that we have given to the peer pressure that asks us to be one of them. Today, the reputation and name of the school is more important than the subjects it offers. Parents do not force or encourage their children to learn their own mother tongue because the main language they would be using in the future would most probably be English or Hindi and not Punjabi. Today, many people can speak in Punjabi because it is easy to speak and learn. However, most people cannot read and write Punjabi. Gurmukhi is the script that is used for writing Punjabi.
With the changing times, we are becoming more and more busy by the day. Due to this, our priorities have changed. Parents today want their children to learn salsa or join swimming. But no one encourages their children to join language courses during the summer vacations or otherwise. This is because life is too busy today. Also, the available sources for teaching children is not so impressive, visually appealing and interactive that it would hold a childs attention for long. Many people from the Sikh community have settled abroad in various countries. Situation there is that they have to adapt to the culture abroad, which asks them to speak, read and write in English. Due to this, most Sikhs who have settled abroad have lost their roots to the western culture. They have become one of them and so have their children. Hence, there is a decrease in the number of existing and new speakers, readers and writers of gurmukhi. This is causing endangerment to Punjabi and moreover Gurmukhi. Since it is a religious language, there is a need for revival of the same. The proceeding chapetrs will give the details, facts and figures supporting this topic of concern.
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INTRODUCTION
Statement of the problem and identification of study variables

Punjabi language as a misnomer for Gurmukhi language. Gurmukhi - literally means from Gurus mouth which means that all words written in Guru Grant Sahib constitute Gurmukhi language. Gurus also developed distinct grammer for the language. Unfortunately, for the Sikhs, Gurmukhi language was shown to be not Gurmukhi language but merely as a script which can be used to write Punjabi. What makes a language distinct, in the order of importance, is its script, grammar and vocabulary,. Thus no one will argue that Hindi is a language with its Hindi script, grammar and lastly vocabulary. Unfortunately for Sikhs, not only religion is classified as part of Hinduism, but their language (Gurmukhi with its script, grammar and vocabulary) is propagated to be Punjabi language. To consolidate this thinking, concept of Shahmukhi and Devnagri script was engrained in so much that Sikhs themselves started to think that Gurmukhi is a mere script, by forgetting that in that case, Gurmukhi becomes the only script which is not an integral part of language - unlike Devnagri has Hindi and Shahmukhi as Urdu language. According to the Ethnologue 2005 estimate, there are 88 million native speakers of the Punjabi language, which makes it approximately the 10th most widely spoken language in the world. According to the 2008 Census of Pakistan, there are 76,335,300 native Punjabi speakers in Pakistan and according to the 2001 Census of India, there are 29,102,477 Punjabi speakers in India. However, according to recent studies, it was found that the number is now stagnant and that no more speakers, readers or writers are getting added. Since there is so much relevance o Gurmukhi in the Sikh religion, an issue like this cannot be ruled out. One has to find out the reasons why people are no longer interested in learning their mother tongue.Since it is the 4th most spoken language in India, it needs to match up in terms of reading and writing as well. There is a need for revival of gurmukhi in terms of reading and writing. For this, one needs to reach out to the people it matters the most, the gursikhs.
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INTRODUCTION:
Significance of the problem
Punjabi is spoken as a native language by over 2.85% of Indians. Punjabi is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab. The Punjabis found in India are composed of various ethnic groups, tribal groups, social groups (caste) and economic groups. Some major subgroups of Punjabis in India include Ahirs, Arora, Bania, Bhatia, Brahmin, Chamar, Gujjar, Kalals/Ahluwalias, Kambojs, Khatris, Lobanas, Jats, Rajputs, Saini, Sood and Tarkhan. Most of these groups can be further sub-divided into clans and family groups. Most of East Punjabs Muslims (in todays states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh) left for West Punjab in 1947. However, there has been a slight decrease in the number of speakers of Punjabi.
Also, it is important to note that with the decrease in number of speakers, no new readers or writers of gurmukhi were seen. This means that there is a gradual decrease in the popularity of gurmukhi. People are not learning the script that forms the basis of their religion. The script was formulated by the Gurus of Sikhism to promote teachings of Gurus among people who followed Sikhism. It is of great importance to Sikh community as it was designed by their Gurus for them. However, seeing the cureent trends, it looks like they have forgotten their roots and become slaves of the western culture by becoming one of them. There is an urgent need to revive the script before it gets extinct.
Census History of Punjabi Speakers In India

Year 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 Population of India 548,159,652 665,287,849 838,583,988 1,028,610,328 1,210,193,422 Punjabi Speakers in India 14,108,443 19,611,199 23,378,744 29,102,477 33,038,280 Percentage 2.57% 2.95% 2.79% 2.83% 2.73%
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INTRODUCTION
Research Hypothesis
A topic such as language revival involves a lot of in depth research and collection of data on the basis of facts and figures. Gurmukhi is the script of the gursikhs that follow Sikhism as their religion. It is of great importance and sentimental value to them. The objectives of the research were decided on the basis of secondary research and collection of current information available on various platforms of information exchange like online portals, blogs, communities, article resourses etc. On the basis of intial secondary research, the current need and status of Gurmukhi was understood. The objectives for the research for the whole project were laid down as follows: 1. To understand the current status of the script among the Sikh community on the basis of ready information through secondary sources. 2. Collection of secondary data and information through various media such as online portals, services, websites, magazines, blogs, communities, books etc. 3. Analyze secondary data to idenitfy the need for revival and promotion of the script.
4. Identify target groups for collection of primary data and prepare for primary research 5. To check the validity and need for the revival of Gurmukhi and intiate a primary research through various media like online and personal surveys, questionnaires, community feedback, interviews of various religious and community heads, scholars and writers. 6. OBJECTIVES FOR PRIMARY RESEARCH: To check the percentage of people who can read and write gurmukhi To check If they feel they are/ are not religious if they can/cannot read and write gurmukhi To check If they would like to learn gurmukh If given options and means to do so and what kinds and types of means they would like to use for learning gurmukhi and how 7. Collection of primary data and analyzing the data to come to conclusions and results 8. Study the conclusions and inferences fro mthe primary data to identify areas for design intervention 9. Provide suggestions for revival of Gurmukhi.
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INTRODUCTION:
Assumptions and limitations of the research

Any kind of research that involves religious and sentimental issues is often subjective to the sources used for the research. So is the case with this project. Gurmukhi is the language of the Sikhs developed and formalised by second Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad Dev Ji. Gurmukhi was adopted to express exactly the tonal sound as to capture the sound of Dhur ki banni as received by Gurus from God. Gurmukhi also had a system where two modifiers were used to modify the sound which once again is slowly losing its value due to negligence. During this research, there were some assumptions that were made. These assumptions are: 1. Gurmukhi is a religious language 2. Gurmukhi holds sentimental and religious value to gursikhs 3. Most gursikhs knew or had heard about gurmukhi 4. Mother tongue is not being passed on from one generation to another 5. Gurmukhi is in a constant threat from internationally acknowledged languages like English and National languages like Hindi. There were some limitations during this research as well. These limitations were: 1. The study and research was performed in New Delhi and does not contain facts and figures for the whole country. 2. The research was conducted among 200 people 3. Some primary research containg interviews of scholars was collected through mails Although there were other difficulties faced during the research, they do not qualify as limitations.
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CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Introduction
Gurmukhi is the name of the script used in writing primarily Punjabi and, secondarily, in the Sindhi language. The word gurmukhi seems to have gained currency from the use of these letters to record the sayings coming from the mukh (lit. mouth or lips) of the (Sikh) Gurus. The word Gurmukhi is the compound form of Guru and Mukh. However the word Gurmukhi has been correctly used and understood for the holy utterances from the Guru Granth Sahib. The letters no doubt existed before the time of Guru Angad Dev Ji (even of Guru Nanak) as they had their origin in the Brahmi, but the origin of the script is attributed to Guru Angad Dev Ji . He not only modified and rearranged certain letters but also shaped them into a script. He gave new shape and new order to the alphabet and made it precise and accurate. He fixed one letter for each of the Punjabi phonemes; use of vowelsymbols was made obligatory, the letters meant for conjuncts were not adopted and only those letters were retained which depicted sounds of the then spoken language. There was some rearrangement of the letters also such as sassa and hahaa were shifted to the first line and oorha was given the first place in the new alphabet. It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by the Aryans and adapted to local needs. According to an opinion, the Brahmi script was introduced between the 8th and the 6th. Century BC. It does not concern us here whether the script was foreign or local, but it has now been established, on the basis of internal evidence, that whatever be its name, the Aryans did have a system of writing which must have been borrowed freely from local scripts. Punjabi language as a misnomer for Gurmukhi language Gurmukhi is the language of the Sikhs developed and formalised by second Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad Dev Ji. So much emphasis was placed on sound that some alphabets of Gurmukhi were exceptional in sound, like ngngnaa, jnjnya etc that even now they are not used at all in India today. One may find these sound used in Thai language. Gurmukhi also had a system where two modifiers were used to modify the sound which once again is slowly losing its value due to negligence. Gurmukhi - literally means from Gurus mouth which means that all words written in Guru Grant Sahib constitute Gurmukhi language. Gurus also developed distinct grammer for the language.
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What makes a language distinct, in the order of importance, is its script, grammar and vocabulary,. Thus no one will argue that Hindi is a language with its Hindi script, grammar and lastly vocabulary. Looking at English same can be said as the alphabets are the distinguishing features. Though Norwegian shares most of its alphabets with English, no one would argue that Norwegian and English are the same language. Unfortunately for Sikhs, not only religion is classified as part of Hinduism, but their language (Gurmukhi with its script, grammar and vocabulary) is propagated to be Punjabi language. To consolidate this thinking, concept of Shahmukhi and Devnagri script was engrained in so much that Sikhs themselves started to think that Gurmukhi is a mere script, by forgetting that in that case, Gurmukhi becomes the only script which is not an integral part of language - unlike Devnagri has Hindi and Shahmukhi as Urdu language. Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language like many other modern languages of South Asia. It is a descendant of the Shauraseni language, which was the chief language of medieval northern India. Punjabi emerged as an independent language in the 11th
century. The first traces of Punjabi can be found in the works of the Nath yogis Gorakshanath and Charpatnath in the 9th and 10th century. The Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with Fariduddin Ganjshakar (Baba Farid) (1173 1266), many ancient Sufi Muslim and later Guru Nanak Dev, the first Guru of Sikhism. The early Punjabi literature was principally spiritual in nature and has had a very rich oral tradition. The poetry written by Sufi saints has been the folklore of the Punjab and is still sung with great love in any part of Punjab. Modern Punjabi is not the predominant language of the Sikh scriptures (which though in Gurmukhi script are written in several languages). A few portions of Guru Granth Sahib use the Punjabi dialects, but the book is interspersed with several other languages including Brajbhasha, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian. Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikhs composed Chandi di Var in Punjabi, although most of his works are composed in other languages like Braj bhasha and Persian.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Framework for literature review
During the research process, a framework for literature review was defined. This was done in order to make the review of literature easy and process based. The framework was: 1. Gurmukhi: An introduction 2. History and evolution of Gurmukhi 3. Association with other scripts 4. Views from scholars 5. Purpose of the script 6. Anatomy of the script 7. Similar case studies, interviews and articles
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Gurmukhi: An introduction
Gurmukhi is the name of the script used in writing primarily Punjabi and, secondarily, Sindhi language. It is used in the Sikh scripture and in contemporary India. It is an evolute from the old Brahmi script like Devanagari and other scripts of the area like Sharda, Takri, Mahajani etc. Gurmukhi characters are even older than Devanagari. The word Gurmukhi seems to have gained currency from the use of these letters to record the sayings coming from the mukh (literally mouth or lips) of the (Sikh) Gurus. The letters no doubt existed before the time of Guru Angad Dev(even of Guru Nanak) as they had their origin in the Brahmi, but the origin of the script is attributed to Guru Angad Dev. The word Gurmukhi is the compound form of Guru and Mukh. However the word Gurmukhi has been correctly used and understood for the holy utterances from the Guru Granth Sahib. The letters no doubt existed before the time of Guru Angad Dev Ji (even of Guru Nanak) as they had their origin in the Brahmi, but the origin of the script is attributed to Guru Angad Dev Ji. It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by the Aryans and adapted to local needs. It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by the Aryans and adapted to local needs. According to an opinion, the Brahmi script was introduced between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC. It does not concern us here whether the script was foreign or local, but it has now been established, on the basis of internal evidence, that whatever be its name, the Aryans did have a system of writing which must have been borrowed freely from local scripts. The Iranians ruled in the Punjab in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. They brought with them Arabic script, which helped in the growth of Kharosthi largely used in the Punjab, Gandhar and Sindhi between 300 BC and 3rd century AD. Gurmukhi is primarily used in the Punjab state of India where it is the sole official script for all official and judicial purpose. The script is also widely used in the indian states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and the national capital of Delhi, with Punjabi being one of the official language in these states.
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History and evolution of Gurmukhi
It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by the Aryans and adapted to local needs. According to an opinion, the Brahmi script was introduced between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC. It does not concern us here whether the script was foreign or local, but it has now been established, on the basis of internal evidence, that whatever be its name, the Aryans did have a system of writing which must have been borrowed freely from local scripts. The Iranians ruled in the Punjab in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. They brought with them Arabic script, which helped in the growth of Kharosthi largely used in the Punjab, Gandhar and Sindhi between 300 BC and 3rd century AD. But even then Brahmi, which in its development in the Punjab had undergone several changes, was commonly used along with Kharosthi. There are coins of the Bactrian kings and inscriptions of the Kushan rulers having both scripts on them. Brahmi was, of course, more popular on account of its simple curves alternated with straight strokes. Hence, in due course, it replaced Kharosthi and became the single script with composite features effected by various local and neighbourly influences. With the growth of literary and cultural activity during the Gupta period (4th and 5th century AD), the Brahmi script improved further and became more expansive and common. Like most of the North Indian writing systems, the Gurmukhi script is a descendant of the Brahmi script. The Proto-Gurmukhi letters evolved through the Gupta script, from 4th to 8th century, followed by the Sharada script, from 8th century onwards, and finally adapted their archaic form in the Devasesha stage of the Later Sharada script, dated between the 10th and 14th centuries. The traditional accounts, such as the references found in the Janamsakhi literature, say that the Gurmukhi script was invented by the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev. However, it would be correct to say that the script was standardised, rather than invented, by the Sikh Gurus. E.P. Newton (Panjabi Grammar, 1898) writes that at least 21 Gurmukhi characters are found in ancient manuscripts: 6 from 10th century, 12 from 3rd century BC and 3 from 5th century BC. Apparently, the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev also used the Gurmukhi script for his writings. There are two major theories on how the Proto-Gurmukhi script emerged in the 15th century. G.B. Singh (1950), while quoting Abu Raihan Al-Birunis Tarikh al-Hind (1030 AD), says that
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the script evolved from Ardhanagari. AlBiruni writes that the Ardhanagari script was used in Bathinda, including Sindh and western parts of the Punjab in the 10th century. For some time, Bhatinda remained the capital of the kingdom of Bhatti Rajputs of the Pal clan, who ruled North India before the Muslims occupied the country. Because of its connection with the Bhattis, the Ardhanagari script was also called Bhatachhari. According to Al-Biruni, Ardhanagari was a mixture of Nagari, used in Ujjain and Malwa, and Siddha Matrika or the Siddham script, a variant of the Sharada script used in Kashmir. Tarlochan Singh Bedi (1999) writes that the Gurmukhi script developed in the 10-14th centuries from the Devasesha stage of the Sharada script. His argument is that from the 10th century, regional differences started to appear between the Sharada script used in Punjab, the Hill States (partly Himachal Pradesh) and Kashmir. Gurus adopted the Proto-Gurmukhi script to write the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scriptures of the Sikhs. Other contemporary scripts used in the Punjab were Takri and the L alphabets. Also Takri was a script that developed through the Devasesha stage of the Sharada script, and is found mainly in the Hill States, such as Chamba, where it is called Chambyali and in Jammu, where it is known as Dogri. The local Takri variants got the status
of official scripts in some of the Punjab Hill States, and were used for both administrative and literary purposes until the 19th century. After 1948, when Himachal Pradesh was established as an administrative unit, the local Takri variants were replaced by Devanagari. Meanwhile, the mercantile scripts of Punjab known as the L were normally not used for literary purposes. Landa means alphabet without tail, applying that the script did not have vowel symbols. In Punjab, there were at least ten different scripts classified as La, Mahajani being the most popular. The La alphabets were used for house hold and trade purposes. Compared to the La , Sikh Gurus favoured the use of Proto-Gurmukhi, because of the difficulties involved in pronouncing words without vowel signs. The usage of Gurmukhi letters in Guru Granth Sahib meant that the script developed its own orthographical rules. In the following epochs, Gurmukhi became the prime script applied for literary writings of the Sikhs. Later in the 20th century, the script was given the authority as the official script of the Eastern Punjabi language. Meanwhile, in Western Punjab a form of the Urdu script, known as Shahmukhi is still in use.
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Association with other scripts
Regionally and contemporarily compared, Gurmukhi characters have direct similarities with Gujarati script, Lande, Nagari, Sharada script or (Sharda) and Takri: they are either exactly the same or essentially alike. Internally, Gurmukhi had undergone some minor orthographical changes before AD 1610. Further changes came in the forms of H, T, and 7 in the first half of the nineteenth century. Its characters were used for writing and transcribing the biography and hymns of Guru Nanak. The manuscripts belonging to the eighteenth century have slightly different forms of these letters. But the modern as well as old forms of these letters are found in the orthography of the same writers in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was consollidated,formally declared as a script & was given this name by the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev. Guru Angad Dev. The Gurmukhi script is tightly associated with the Sikh religion, as the words guru-mukh literally mean from the mouth of the guru. It was created in the 16th century CE by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad, to write the Punjabi language. Stylistically, Gurmukhi derives its letter shapes from Landa, but considerable influence from Nagari is evident from the top horizontal bar present in most letters. Punjabi has three tones, but they are not represented in the writing system except for sporadic use of the ha letter (reduced to a subscript) to indicate a high tone. The usage of Gurmukhi letters in Guru Granth Sahib meant that the script developed its own orthographical rules. In the following epochs, Gurmukhi became the prime script applied for literary writings of the Sikhs. Later in the 20th century, the script was given the authority as the official script of the Eastern Punjabi language. Meanwhile, in Western Punjab a form of the Urdu script, known as Shahmukhi is still in use.
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Views from scholars
Immediately afer formation, it developed, especially in northern India, fine curves and embellished flourishes with a small headline over each letter, and became rather ornamental. This stage of Indian script was called Kutil, meaning curved. From Kutil evolved the Siddhamatrika which had the widest use in northern India. Some scholars think that these two scripts existed simultaneously. From the sixth century to the ninth, Siddhamatrika had a very wide use from Kashmir to Varanasi. With the rise of regional languages taking the place of Sanskrit and Prakrit, regional scripts grew in number. Ardhanagari (west), Sharda (Kashmir) and Nagari (beyond Delhi) came into use, and later both Sharda and Devanagari, an off short of Nagari, started their in roads into the land of the five rivers. This is evident from the coins of the Ghaznavids and Ghoris minted at Lahore and Delhi. It is also known that the common people used a number of scripts for their temporal and commercial requirements. Of these Lande and Takri characters were most prevalent. It is on account of these currents that scholars have tried to establish relationships of Gurmukhi with Devanagri (G.H. Ojha), Ardhanagari (G.B. Singh), Siddhamatrika (Pritam Singh), Sharada script or (Sharda) (Diringer) and Brahmi (generally). Some ascribe it to Lande and some others to Takri, a branch of Sharda used in Chamba and Karigra. The fact is that it is dervied from or at least allied to all these and others mentioned above in their historical perspective.
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Purpose of the script
The purpose for creating this script was to make the Adi Granth accessable to the general publicThe tradition system at the time was that a person had to study extensively to understand religious texts. Gurmukhi can be learned easily and the language was the common tounge of the area, so the Gurus teachings could reach all who wanted them. Like Hindi and Urdu, it is derived from Sanskrit. It is a misnomer to call the Guru as the inventor of its characters, because before the advent of Guru Nanak, their usage had been prevalent according to in a tablet found at Athur in Ludhiana district. Even Guru Nanak himself based one of his poems entitled patti on its characters.He not only modified and rearranged certain letters but also shaped them into a script. Gurmukhi was developed to be a very precise phonetic language. By learning to pronounce Gurmukhi, people could not only learn to read and pronounce the songs written by Guru Nanak; they could also learn how to pronounce the songs that Guru Nanak had preserved during his life from other masters and sages, even if those songs were in a completely different language. The purpose of Gurmukhi was not to simply represent the common language of the time, but to allow people to read and sing sacred songs in other languages, as well. The invention of Gurmukhi was key to opening the doors of the Shabad Guru to all people. Through learning this very simple, precise method of pronunciation, and by repeating the words of the sages, you begin to induce in yourself the same state of consciousness that they were in when they sang the songs. It begins to create the same changes in the physiology. It opens the door to higher awareness. And all that is required is your breath and voice imitating and repeating those sounds. The Gurmukhi script accomplished something very special. It allowed people to be able to read and pronounce the songs written by Guru Nanak. Up until that point in history, the dialect spoken by Guru Nanak and his contemporaries had no written equivalent. Written languages were reserved for the powerful, the wealthy and the high-castes. There was no writing or reading based on the common language.
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Anatomy of the script
The Gurmukhi script is semi syllabic in the sense that a is included in the consonant signs in some situations. This a is not pronounced at the end of the syllable. Thus, oW is kal, and cTH is Ram, that is, or in oTff (kal) represents k+a, while B represents only 1. Other vowels after consonants are shown by vowel symbols which also happen to be the first three letters of the Gurmukhi alphabet. Of these, the first and the third are not used independently. They always have a diacritic attached to them. The second letter is used without diacritics also, and in that case it is equivalent to a as in English about. With diacritics a total of ten vowels are formed, viz., u, u, o, a, a, ai, au, i, i and e. Of these vocalic diacritics, i occurs before a consonant (although pronounced after it), uandu are written below; a and i after a consonant; and e, a,i, o and au over a consonant. Similarly, the nasalization sign is also used over a consonant though in fact it nasalizes the vowel. Of all the vowel marks, called lagdnm Punjabi, a is the oldest, though initially just a dot was used for it. The vowel marks i and u are found in Asokan edicts and later inscriptions. All Gurmukhi letters have uniform height and can be written between two parallel horizontal lines, with the only exception of (the first letter of the alphabet) the top curve of which extends beyond the upper line. From left to right, too, they have almost uniform length, only H (aim) and W (ghagghd) may be slightly longer than the rest. However, the placing of vowel symbols under and over the letters, a characteristic of all Indian scripts, creates some problems in printing and typing. No change is effected in the form of the letter when a vowel symbol or diacritic is attached to it, the only exception being to which an additional curve is added which represents two syllables. This is the only example of a single graphic form representing multiple sounds (and this form has a theological background); otherwise there is no Gurmukhi letter representing more than one phoneme, and there are no digraphs.The first letter in the Gurmukhi arrangement, is nontraditional and appears to be so due to Us importance in the Sikh scriptures as IV, i.e. God is one.
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Anatomy of the script
After vowels come and A which are usually placed at the end of Indian syllabary. Other consonantal symbols are in their traditional order. The terms given to the consonants are their reduplicative phonetic values. Thus oT is called kakka, is vava. Only is tainha. The syllabary ends with 3 rara. The total number of letters is 35 (3 vowels, 2 semivowels, and 30 consonants). They are 52 in Devanagari, 41 each in Sharda and Takri. A dot at the bottom of a number of consonants has been used to represent borrowed sounds such as s, kh, gh, z, and f. These have been lately introduced though not as a part of the original alphabet. Geminate (double or long) consonants are indicated by an overhead crescent sign, termed as adhak and placed above the consonant preceding the affected one. There is paucity of conjunct consonants in the system. Only 3 ,S are combined as second members of the clusters and placed without the head line under the first members. 3 as the second member of the conjuncts may also be depicted under the first member just in the shape of a slanting comma. It is felt that conjunct consonants, thanks to Sanskrit and English influence and expansion of the range of the Punjabi language, are no longer foreign to Punjabi pronunciation. There is, therefore, great need to adopt, adapt or invent them. Attempts have been made by some scholars but their acceptance is still limited.
The Gurmukhi Alphabet is also called
Paintis Akhri because it contains thirty-five letters. The alphabet has also crossed the frontiers of its homeland. Sikhs have settled in all parts of the world and Gurmukhi has accompanied them everywhere. It has a brighter future, indeed, in and outside the land of its birth. Till recently, Persian script was largely used for Punjabi and there was initially a considerable amount of writing in this script, but it is becoming dated now.
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Anatomy of the script: Alphabets
The Gurmukhi Alphabet is also called Paintis Akhri because it contains thirty-five letters. The alphabet has also crossed the frontiers of its homeland. Sikhs have settled in all parts of the world and Gurmukhi has accompanied them everywhere. It has a brighter future, indeed, in and outside the land of its birth. Till recently, Persian script was largely used for Punjabi and there was initially a considerable amount of writing in this script, but it is becoming dated now. However, in the Pakistan Punjab, Punjabi is still studied, at postgraduate level, in Persian script. The first three characters Ura, Aim and Iri are vowels. Sassa is sibilant, Haha is aspirate. There are twenty-five mutes, which include five Gutturals: kakka, Khakkha, gagga, ghaggha and ngannga; five Palatals: chachcha, chhachchha, jajja, jhajjha and nyanya; five Cerebrals: tainka, thattha, dadda, chaddha and nana; The last five letters are consonants like mutes, but they are also called semi-vowels. They are: yayya, rara, lalla, wawa and rara . The vowels, that is, the first three letters are made to represent ten vowel sounds with the aid of additional signs, which are known as laghan matran. These are the short a inherent in each consonant, aa, i, ee, u, oo, ey, ai, o and au. These laghan matran are: mukta, kanna, siari, biari, uankar, dulainkare, lan, dulaian, hora and kanaura respectively. When used with consonants, these signs represent the three vowels. There are three additional signs, viz., tippi, bindi and adhik. Tippi is a nasal sound and is joined with mukta, siari, uankar and dulainkare. Bindi is also nasal and is joined with kanna, biari, lan, dulaian, hora and kanaura. Adhik is placed between two letters, indicating the reduplication of the second. The Gurmukhi alphabet was devised during the 16th century by Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, and popularised by Guru Angad, the second Sikh guru. It was modelled on the Landa alphabet. The name Gurmukhi means from the mouth of the Guru.
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Alphabets and pronounciations in gurmukhi
Various symbols for sounds in gurmukhi
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Gurmukhi consonants
Matras in gurmukhi
The gurmukhi primer
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Anatomy of the script: Alphabets
* This is a syllabic alphabet in which all consonants have an inherent vowel. Diacritics, which can appear above, below, before or after the consonant they belong to, are used to change the inherent vowel. * When they appear at the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as independent letters. * When certain consonants occur together, special conjunct symbols are used which combine the essential parts of each letter. * Punjabi is a tonal language with three tones. These are indicated in writing using the voiced aspirates consonants (gh, dh, bh, etc) and the intervocal h. Panjabi or Punjabi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 60 million people in Pakistan and the Indian state of Panjab. In Pakistan Panjabi is written with a version of the Arabic script known as Shahmukhi Unlike Roman characters, Gurmukhi is written below the line. The letters are structured so that they form neat, easily readable words. Gurmukhi is quite attractive to look at and has even been imitated in some ASCII display fonts but using Roman characters for people who cannot read Gurmukhi. Real Gurmukhi shapes have to be learned although there are some similarities between Gurmukhi and Roman script such as: B; K; W- the latter having a sound that is cross between a W and a V. Once you start writing it, you will find it fairly easy. The Gurmukhi alphabet has 35 letters in it and whilst this might seem like a lot, it is not as daunting as it at first sounds.
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Similar case studies, interviews and articles
Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multilingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. There are 59 indigenous peoples in Nepal. Of them, Limbu indigenous peoples are the one who have their own distinct language having a long written tradition. Despite the long written tradition of the Limbu language, it has been confronting problems in using it mainly in education, communication and official work. It would be relevant to discuss each of them in brief. Nepals constitution 1991 had a provision that each community can impart education in their own mother tongue up to primary level. The Nepals Interim Constitution 2006 has also made similar but clearer provision than that of the Constitution 1991. Limbu language along with other mother tongues has been included in primary school curriculum. However, these provision and the rights have not yet been properly implemented resulting in deprivation of indigenous peoples to get quality education. Radio Nepal has started to broadcast news in Limbu language for 5 minutes every day through its Regional Broadcasting Centre, Dhankuta since 2051. Later it has started to broadcast educational program for 30 minutes in Limbu language once in a week. This is a pity state of Limbu language use in electronic media owned by the government where most of the listeners of the regional broadcasting centre, are the Limbu language speakers. The government of Nepal also includes policy regarding the use of mother tongue in local government and offices in its annual policy and programs of this year. This has provided some rooms in government offices to the use of mother tongue. Some basic works has been done in the field of education and communication but nothing has been worked with the use of Limbu language in official work. There is lack of basic requirements to be used for using of Limbu language in official work. The government office staffs are still reluctant and hesitate towards internalizing the use of mother tongue in office. There is lack of Limbu language speaker staffs. All public notice of government offices are broadcasted and published in Nepali language which has never provided clear message to the Limbu language speakers. Even Limbu language speakers are not aware that their language can be used in office in addition to Nepali Language as official language because they have not allowed doing so for years. The proposed project will address all these problems to introduce Limbu language in local government offices as an official language.
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The Story of Gurmukhi by HARDEV BAHRI Gurmukhi is the name of the script used in writing primarily Punjabi and, secondarily, Sindhi language. The word gurmukhi seems to have gained currency from the use of these letters to record the sayings coming from the mukh (lit. mouth or lips) of the (Sikh) Gurus. The letters no doubt existed before the time of Guru Angad (even of Guru Nanak) as they had their origin in the Brahmi, but the origin of the script is attributed to Guru Angad. He not only modified and rearranged certain letters but also shaped them into a script. He gave new shape and new order to the alphabet and made it precise and accurate. He fixed one letter for each of the Punjabi phonemes; use of vowel symbols was made obligatory, the letters meant for conjuncts were not adopted and only those letters were retained which depicted sounds of the then spoken language. There was some rearrangement of the letters also. H and T which were in the last line of the existing alphabets, were shifted to the first line. Again, V was given the first place in the new alphabet. It is commonly accepted that Gurmukhi is a member of the Brahmi family. Brahmi is an Aryan script which was developed by

the Aryans and adapted to local needs. According to an opinion, the Brahmi script was introduced between the 8th and the 6th centuries BC. It does not concern us here whether the script was foreign or local, but it has now been established, on the basis of internal evidence, that whatever be its name, the Aryans did have a system of writing which must have been borrowed freely from local scripts. But even then, Brahmi, which in its development in the Punjab had undergone several changes, was commonly used along with Kharosthi. There are coins of the Bactrian kings and inscriptions of the Kushan rulers having both scripts on them. Brahmi was, of course, more popular on account of its simple curves alternated with straight strokes. Hence, in due course, it replaced Kharosthi and became the single script with composite features effected by various local and neighbourly influences. With the growth of literary and cultural activity during the Gupta period (4th and 5th century AD), the Brahmi script improved further and became more expansive and common. Immediately later, it developed, especially in northern India, fine curves and embellished flourishes with a small headline over each letter, and became rather ornamental. This stage of Indian script was called Kutil, meaning curved.
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From Kutil evolved the Siddhamatrika which had the widest use in northern India. Some scholars think that these two scripts existed simultaneously. It is also known that the common (nonBrahman and non-official) people used a number of scripts for their temporal and commercial requirements. Of these, Lande and Takri characters were most prevalent. It is on account of these currents that scholars have tried to establish relationships of Gurmukhi with Devanagri (G.H. Ojha), Ardhanagari (G.B. Singh), Siddhamatrika (Pritam Singh), Sharda (Diringer) and Brahmi (generally). Some ascribe it to Lande and some others to Takri, a branch of Sharda used in Chamba and Karigra. The fact is that it is dervied from or at least allied to all these and others mentioned above in their historical perspective. Regionally and contemporarily compared, Gurmukhi characters have direct similarities with Gujrati, Lande, Nagari, Sharda and Takri: they are either exactly the same or essentially alike. Internally, Gurmukhi had undergone some minor orthographical changes before AD 1610. Further changes came in the forms of H, T, and V in the first half of the nineteenth century.

The manuscripts belonging to the eighteenth century have slightly different forms of these letters. But the modern as well as old forms of these letters are found in the orthography of the same writers in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Another reform carried out is the separation of lexical units of the sentence which previously formed one jumbled unit; lately punctuation marks borrowed from English have been incorporated besides the full stop (ll) which existed traditionally. The Gurmukhi script is semi syllabic in the sense that a is included in the consonant signs in some situations. This a is not pronounced at the end of the syllable. Thus, oW is kal, and cTH is Ram, that is, or in oTff (kal) represents k+a, while B represents only 1. Other vowels after consonants are shown by vowel symbols which also happen to be the first three letters of the Gurmukhi alphabet. Of these, the first and the third are not used independently. They always have a diacritic attached to them. The second letter is used without diacritics also, and in that case it is equivalent to a as in English about.
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The first letter in the Gurmukhi arrangement is nontraditional and appears to be so due to Us importance in the Sikh scriptures as IV, i.e. God is one. After vowels come and A which are usually placed at the end of Indian syllabary. Other consonantal symbols are in their traditional order. The terms given to the consonants are their reduplicative phonetic values. Thus k is called kakka, v is vava. Only is tainha. The syllabary ends with 3 rara. The total number of letters is 35 (3 vowels, 2 semivowels, and 30 consonants). They are 52 in Devanagari, 41 each in Sharda and Takri. A dot at the bottom of a number of consonants has been used to represent borrowed sounds such as s, kh, gh, z, and f. 3 as the second member of the conjuncts may also be depicted under the first member just in the shape of a slanting comma. It is felt that conjunct consonants, thanks to Sanskrit and English influence and expansion of the range of the Punjabi language, are no longer foreign to Punjabi pronunciation. There is, therefore, great need to adopt, adapt or invent them. Attempts have been made by some scholars but their acceptance is still limited.

Gurmukhi has played a significant role in Sikh faith and tradition. It was originally employed for the Sikh scriptures. The script spread widely under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and after him under the Punjab Sikh chiefs, for administrative purposes. It played a great part in consolidating and standardizing the Punjabi language. For centuries it has been the main medium of literacy in the Punjab and its adjoining areas where the earliest schools were attached to gurdwaras. Now it is used in all spheres of culture, arts, education and administration. It is the state script of the Punjab and as such its common and secular character has been firmly established. The alphabet has also crossed the frontiers of its homeland. Sikhs have settled in all parts of the world and Gurmukhi has accompanied them everywhere. It has a brighter future, indeed, in and outside the land of its birth. Till recently, Persian script was largely used for Punjabi and there was initially a considerable amount of writing in this script, but it is becoming dated now. However, in the Pakistan Punjab, Punjabi is still studied, at post graduate level, in Persian script.
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Gurmukhi: The Unique Invention of Guru Nanak Dr.Kuldip Singh, FRCS Guru Nanak was born with the mandate of revealing a new religious thought and to build up a new nation on the basis of Truth. The Primal Lord wanted Nanak to project a humanitarian and scientific religion, and build a new nation shorn of all hypocrisy and mythology. His mission was revealed when he was taken to the teacher for imparting teaching in the crude local Lande or Mahajani alphabet with which the Khatris maintained accounts. When the teacher wanted the seven year old Nanak to learn the letter S or sassa, Nanak asked as to what did that letter mean. The teacher said it meant the letter S nothing more. Guru Nanak explained that it stood for the Sole Creator of the universe who is the one Lord of all of us. Sasai soye srishat jin saaji, sabhna sahib ek, bhaiyaa (Guru Granth Sahib, 432). The bani in Raag Aasa over which Guru Arjun, the compiler of Guru Granth Sahib has given the heading Patti Likhi, or the written alphabet, contains a line or couplet for each of the 35 letters of the Gurmukhi alphabet. Fristly, Guru Nanak appeared for his sojourn on this earth in 1469, the people of Punjab had been

speaking Punjabi for over 1,000 years, but there was no script of the language. A crude script of 27 letters, called Mahaani or Takri, without vowel letters or mattras was used by people to note down accounts, record of family events and sending messages. By regarding the whole line they could make out or guess the meaning. Muslims had been ruling Punjab for nearly 500 years and half the population had embraced Islam. The official or court language was Persian, written in Arabic script. The maulvis in the mosques taught not only Arabic to Muslim children but also instructed the Muslims in observation of Muslim customs. The Brahmins, similarly, explained the rituals to Hindus on specific family or festival days. Indeed, observation of specific rituals was regarded as religion by both Muslims and Hindus. Akal Purakh, the one ever-existing Lord, decided to have a complete break when Nanak started reciting bani, or divine revelation, in the Punjabi language. Nanak started compiling this revealed bani in a very concise and complete scientific script for the Punjabi language, comprising 35 letters, 10 vowel marks and 3 other sound marks.
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Akal Purakh, the one ever-existing Lord, decided to have a complete break when Nanak started reciting bani, or divine revelation, in the Punjabi language. Nanak started compiling this revealed bani in a very concise and complete scientific script for the Punjabi language, comprising 35 letters, 10 vowel marks and 3 other sound marks. It is an historical fact that prior to Guru Nanaks writing Gurbani, no text had ever been written on walls, stones or paper in the now known Punjabi or Gurmukhi alphabet. Indeed, we can state without the slightest hesitation, and without any fear of contradiction, that Guru Nanak is the inventor of the Gurmukhi alphabet.@ There are hundreds of other scripts all over the world but there is no single inventor of any one or them. The Second Step: During his long travels across the country and beyond, spread over 28 years, Guru Nanak kept on recording his bani, which he used to recite and sing with his companion, Mardana playing on Rebec in various musical measures or Ragas. Not only this, Guru Nanak recorded the sayings, teachings or bani of other saints or Bhagats, whom he either met during his travels or learnt it from their disciples, the Bhagats having predeceased Guru Nanak. The bani of only those Bhagats was included who believed in one Lord, were against caste system and ideologically held similar views to that of Nanak specially denying the possibility

of Akal Purkh - the ever existing Lord taking birth as devta or incarnation of Lord in human form. Their bani was recorded by Guru Nanak not only in the Gurmukhi script but also in the language of Guru Granth. The Third Step: The identity of Sikhs centered on their knowing Gurmukhi. Guru Angad (Nanak, the Second) established the alphabetical order of the Gurmukhi letters and took active part in teaching the script and popularising it. He made the Sikhs learn the script and not only memorise the bani but also write it. Gurmukhi knowing and Gurbani writing Sikhs - the seekers, sought entry into the Sikh fold by partaking Charnamrit from the Guru. Charnamrit was the baptismal water prepared by dipping the Gurus cleaned and washed big toe of right foot in clean water kept in a vessel. Booklets or Gutkas as we, the Sikhs, call them containing bani written in Gurmukhi script were the centre of reverence in the Dharamsals, as gurdwaras were then called. It was adoption of the Gurmukhi characters which reminded those who employed them of their duty towards their Guru and constantly kept alive in their minds the consciousness that they were something distinct from the common mass of Hindus. - Gokul Chand Narang. Thus Sikhism starts with Gurmukhi, is indeed the foundation of Sikhi. Any individual who feels proud to call himself a Sikh must know the Gurmukhi script.
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The Gurmukhi Script By Sukhmandir Khalsa Gurmukhi is the Sikh language of prayer in which the Guru Granth Sahib is written. The word gurmukhi means gurus mouth. The second Sikh guru, Angad Dev, emphasized reading scripture daily. He developed a phonetic script, derived from a 16th century script, which could be easily learned by the common person. Guru Angad transcribed the compositions of his predecessor, Guru Nanak, into Gurmukhi. Gurmukhi is similar to Punjabi, but differs in that it is a poetic rather spoken language. The Punjabi alphabet also has additional modern day characters which are not found in the scriptural verses of the Guru Granth Sahib. Gurmukhi Consonants The Gurmukhi script alphabet has 35 main characters grouped alphabetically to form a grid. The top row, has three vowel holders followed by two consonants. The remaining 30 consonants are arranged so that the second through sixth rows have both horizontal and vertical significance to their pronunciation. For example the last vertical row of letters all have a nasal inflection. The fourth horizontal row are

all palatal and are pronounced with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth just behind the ridge in back of the teeth, while the fourth vertical row are aspirated, and pronounced with a puff of air, and so on. Gurmukhi Vowels Gurmukhi has ten vowels, one of which is understood rather than written, and has no symbol. It is known as mukta, and means liberation. A mukta is pronounced between each and every consonant wherever no other vowel is present unless otherwise indicated. A vowel holder is used where there is no consonant between vowel sounds. The vowel symbols are noted above, below, or to either side of consonants, or their respective vowel holders. Gurumukhi Auxiliary Symbols Auxiliary Gurmukhi symbols indicate punctuation, pronunciation, double consonants or the absence of a vowel. For example, a particular mark preceding a consonant duplicates its sound much the way we would write a double letter in the English language. Where a second consonant follows the first, with no mukta or other vowel between the two, a miniature symbol indicated at the base of the first represents the second consonant.
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Promotion of German as a foreign language Within the scope of its cultural relations and education policy, the Federal Foreign Office coordinates the many different promotion programmes and individual measures carried out by various intermediary organizations worldwide but supported with Federal funds. Cooperation partners for language promotion are the Goethe-Institut (GI), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Federal Office of Administration Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA), the Educational Exchange Service (PAD), the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) and Deutsche Welle (DW). Thanks to their multi faceted engagement these institutions and their international partners help to ensure the development and expansion of German language skills abroad. Over 300 million euro is currently being made available for the promotion of the German language abroad, primarily at German Schools abroad, universities and in adult education. Framework The number of people learning German worldwide is on the decline (down from

17 million in 2005 to 14.45 million in 2009/2010). The reasons for this trend can be found in the increasing focus in many education systems on just one foreign language (English), the increasing engagement of individual countries, such as Spain and China, in language policy, and demographic factors. Current figures German is the most widely spoken language in Europe, with 100 million native speakers. According to the most recent survey of German learners (2010), approx. 14.45 million people worldwide speak or are learning German as a foreign language, mostly in schools (approx. 12.8 million), universities (approx. 1.45 million) and adult education courses (approx. 0.2 million). In 2008/2009 some 186,000 people took German language courses at the Goethe Institut branches worldwide. German is learnt mainly within Europe. The majority of German learners are in Poland (approx. 2.35 million), Russia (approx. 1.612 million) and France (approx. 1.037 million). In regional terms, the clear majority of people learning German come from the EU countries (about 47%), and some 30% from Eastern Europe.
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Measures The fact that the number of people learning German abroad is falling poses major challenges for the promotion of the German language.Language projects span generations and need continuous long term investment. The various initiatives and measures within the scope of cultural relations and education policy underpin this approach. 1. The German Language of Ideas campaign This campaign is a key focus of cultural relations and education policy since 2010. The Federal Foreign Office aims, along with its partners (Goethe-Institut, German Academic Exchange Service, Central Agency for Schools Abroad, Deutsche Welle, Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations and Educational Exchange Service), to Get young people abroad interested in the German language and open doors for them to German science, economics and culture, Encourage decision makers in politics, education, commerce and the media at home and abroad to support the promotion of German as a foreign language worldwide. The campaign will help build global education partnerships through a

cycle of measures and events both in Germany and abroad. Brochure: German Language of Ideas Promotion of German as part of cultural relations and education policy (PDF, 18 MB) 2. The Schools: Partners for the Future initiative One of the aims of the Schools: Partners for the Future initiative launched by the Federal Foreign Office in 2008 is to expand the teaching of German, particularly in the growth economies of Asia, the Middle East and the CIS states. A total of 1420 partner schools have joined the initiative to date. 3. Major language promotion campaigns and promotion programmes concentrate on countries with large numbers of German learners hence the Deutschmobile tour in Poland www.deutsch-wagen-tour.pl and Franceas part of a comprehensive effort by each partner to promote the others language. 4. The German language in the European institutions. The Federal Government has set itself the goal of strengthening the German language
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in the EU institutions. To this end, the Goethe-Institut, on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office, has since 1994 been running language courses in the EU capitals under the Europanetzwerk Deutsch programme for senior EU officials and ministerial officials from EU and other partner states. Players and instruments promoting German around the world 1. The Goethe-Institut promotes the German language abroad through language and further training courses, engages in international cultural cooperation and seeks to provide a wide ranging view of Germany and German culture. Its language policy engagement focuses on developing and extending worldwide international education networks and seeking to establish two foreign languages on the curriculum in schools in Europe and elsewhere. A few figures (2009): 135 branches in 91 countries, a network of 905 contact points in 128 countries.Almost 2000 educational cooperation programmes for German reaching around 6.5 million people.14,584 language courses abroad with 184,438 participants.
2. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) promotes the German language at the interface with Germany as a study location: DAAD lecturers teach German language, literature, culture and other subjects with a German connection at universities abroad. Furthermore, the DAAD arranges and supports study and research scholarships at German universities and offers language courses for students about to embark on studies in Germany. A few figures: 543 lecturers teaching at universities abroad for between 2 and 5 years. Total budget 20.5 million (2009). Increase in 2010: 21.5 million.1500 scholarships for language courses in Germany (2009). Budget 3.5 million. Language courses abroad: funding totalling 3 million for 2000 people receiving assistance (2009). 3. The Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA) promotes 135 German Schools abroad as well as 825 language diploma schools in 95 countries by
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seconding some 2000 German teachers abroad and providing them with support on pedagogical matters. It seeks globally recognized qualifications in line with international standards and promotes quality oriented schools development. 4. The Educational Exchange Service (PAD) promotes exchanges and cooperation between German schools and schools abroad. Its programmes are directed at: Schools which run school partnerships; German teachers looking for further training courses, secondments or a one year further training programme. Education experts from Europe wanting to arrange study visits. Students who help in class in a school over the course of a school year. Pupils with an excellent knowledge of German, who are invited for a stay in Germany. 5. The Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) promotes German language and culture abroad through German-language media, exchange

programmes, up to 150 German courses and other activities. Its work focuses on German minorities in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. 6. Deutsche Welle offers Germanlanguage radio, television and internet, as well as language courses based on these programmes. Multimedia company and virtual classroom in one thats whats special about Deutsche Welle. The German language courses for beginners and advanced students take a multimedia approach. Special material for teachers provides inspiration for how to apply this in language lessons. Interactive German courses, audiovisual material, news texts and commentaries. Deutsche Welle attaches great importance to developing modern, contemporary formats.
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Summary
On the basis of the secondary research and studies, it was concluded that there was a gradual decrease in the number of speakers, reader and writers of gurmukhi. Gurmukhi is the religious language script for Sikh religion. It was formulated by the Sikh gurus to spread the teachings among common people without discrimination. The gurmukhi script is an evolute of ancient indian scripts and is a blend of indian and persian scripts. This makes it a unique script. Over the years, the script underwent few changes in the stroke styles, letterforms and shapes to increase readability. There are many online web-based communities that are involved in the spreadig of awareness of gurmukhi and sikh culture. Some of these communities offer memberships and platforms where people can blog, write articles and share views on the current status of sikhism, culture and religion across the world. There are many scholars and researchers who are involved in the compilation and promotion of the sikh culture through books, articles, blogs, magazine and web portals. These people are in constant touch with the religious heads of the sikh community who hlp them validate their thoughts and ideas. It was also found that there had been a slow but considerable amount of change in the perception, lifestyle and views of the people from the sikh community. Since many people from the cummunity were immigrating to western countries. Due to this, the perception, lifestyle and way of living for many of them had changed due to cultural changes. Hence, the way of thinking and living had changed gradually among all. This was causing the decrease in the popularity and awareness of sikhism, gurmukhi and religious value among gursikhs.
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CHAPTER 3 METHODS
Determination of research design

From the compilation of secondary research, it was found that gurmukhi is a religious script for the sikh community. It holds a special sentimental and emotional value in the hearts of the gursikhs because it was formulated by the Gurus themselves for spreading the teachings to all people. There are many web-based portals and publications that come up regularly with articles, blogs, posts and stories from different people across the globe which are based on the religion and its importance. Many scholars and high level religious heads are a part of such publications and portals. To take this project ahead, it was necessary to conduct a primary research. This primary research would help the author in validating certain points and assumptions. A primary research is basically a research conducted by the person working on the project on personal level. This includes research in the form of surveys, questionnaires, interviews, feedbacks etc. that give first hand response from the prospective consumer or target audience. For this project, the primary research had to be conducted withing a specific region, number of respondents and age group. To validate certain points that came up in the secondary research, the primary research had to be conducted withign a specific age group and set of people. The compilation from this primary collection of data would enable the author to support certain assumptions or observations with facts and figures.
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METHODS
Research design
For this project, the primary research had to be conducted withing a specific region, number of respondents and age group. To validate certain points that came up in the secondary research, the primary research had to be conducted withign a specific age group and set of people. The compilation from this primary collection of data would enable the author to support certain assumptions or observations with facts and figures. There were certain objectives defined for the primary research in advance: To check the percentage of people who can read and write gurmukhi To check If they feel they are/ are not religious if they can/cannot read and write gurmukhi To check If they would like to learn gurmukh If given options and means to do so and what kinds and types of means they would like to use for learning gurmukhi and how. Once these objectives were clear, it was important to define the target audience for the same. It was also necessary to define what age group those people be in. The set of people to be interviewed or surveyed, decides the quality and level of information and feedback on would get from the research. It is very important to define a correct target audience for the research, which in this case was gursikhs or people who belong to the sikh community. After the research was competed, there had to be a stage of research compilation, data analysis and conclusion. The conclusion from the primary research would then be combined with the secondary research and compiled into a single data conclusion that would lead the author to the possible opportunity areas for design intervention.
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METHODS
Data collection
The compilation from this primary collection of data would enable the author to support certain assumptions or observations with facts and figures. For this research, the methods of online and printed surveys was finalized. This was done in order to ensure that maximum number of people can be reached out to in a specific duration of time. A survey usually consists of questions, diagrams, pictures and tables that support the questionnaire format of the survey. These elements enable the people taking the survey understand the questions better and give their opinion in a better way. For this research, the survey was finalized as a source of primary data. This data would be collected in the form of questionnaire from prospective target audience who will be approached through various means. The answers given by them would be in the form of objective choices. This would help in making the research more fine. The answers from these people will be collected in the form of questionnaires and calculated by using the percentage method. Once calculted, these answers will enable the author to compile a basic overview of the research and come down with a conclusion of the primary research. The results from this research would then be assembled with the secondary data collected through online sources, books, magazines etc. The conclusion from both types of research would lead the author to the possible opportunity areas for design intervention.
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CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Demographics of the population
From the compilation of secondary research, it was found that gurmukhi is a religious script for the sikh community. It holds a special sentimental and emotional value in the hearts of the gursikhs because it was formulated by the Gurus themselves for spreading the teachings to all people. For this project, the primary research had to be conducted withing a specific region, number of respondents and age group. To validate certain points that came up in the secondary research, the primary research had to be conducted withign a specific age group and set of people. The target age group for this research was finalized to be in two sets: SIKH KIDS: This is a segment of target audience which needs to be catered to first. There is an immediate need and urgent requirement to spread awareness about this issue among kids. Age group: 7-12 Demographics: Kids going to school. Mostly students of classes 3-7 who know or are learning how to read and write. These are the most easily influenced group as they can be influenced by their peers, family and teachers. It is easier to reach out to them if done so correctly. SIKH ADULTS: This segment of target audience includes people who are grown up, working proffesionals and busy due to work. Age group: 18-50 Proffession/Occupation: Working proffessionals, students, homemkers, businessmen Attributes: Not easily influenced. However, peer rpessure plays an important role. Matured, sensible, busy, achievers, innovators This segment is the toughest to cater to because they cannot be easily influenced and generally look for reasoning while buying any idea/ concept. They are experienced and matured. They are working professionals who have less time for other liesure activities. They prefer things on-the-go, thigns which are fast, less time consuming and interactive. These two were the target audience for the primary research. However, Apart from gursikhs, many general non-sikh people were also interviewed and their views were taken on the awareness and degree of knowledge of gurmukhi and punjabi.
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Testing of hypotheses
On the basis of primary research definitions, a formal research startegy was designed. This included two questionnaires that were distributed among 100 gursikhs and 100 non gursikhs to test their knowledge and awareness on gurmukhi. The first questionnaire was focussed on gursikhs, be it kids or adults. The objective of the survey was: To check the percentage of people who can read and write gurmukhi To check If they feel they are/ are not religious if they can/cannot read and write gurmukhi To check If they would like to learn gurmukh If given options and means to do so and what kinds and types of means they would like to use for learning gurmukhi and how.
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

The second questionnaire focussed on the general awareness on punjabi and gurmukhi among non-sikhs. The objective was: To check the awareness of gurmukhi and punjabi among non-sikh people To check if they can differenciate between punjabi and gurmukhi To check the reasons why they know/ do not know about gurmukhi To check what means of communication and education they prefer the most
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SURVEY 1
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SURVEY 1
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SURVEY 2
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SURVEY 2
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Survey Results: survey 1
This survey was conducted among gurskhs who were residing in the punjabi inhabited regions of Delhi like Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar, Punjabi Bagh etc. Also, most people were interviewed in gurudwaras and in colonies. 1. How many words could you read ? Zero, No words= 32% 1=47% 2=7% 3=0 % All=14% 2. How well did you understand the lines above? Zero, No words=3% 1=52% 2=23% 3=2% All=20% 3. When is this passage used by people? Correct answer= 16% Incorrect answer=21% No answer=63% 4. Have you spoken Punjabi more or less than you did 5 years ago? More=32% Less= 68% 5. Do you only speak Punjabi when elders are present? Yes= 32% No=44% Sometimes=18% N/A= 7% 6. Do you speak Punjabi with your children? Yes=39% No=6% Sometimes=41% N/A=23%
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7. Is Punjabi your mother tongue? Yes= 89% No=11% 8. Where you born in Delhi? Yes=68% No=32% 9. How old were you when you arrived in Delhi? 0-10 yr=49% 10-16 yr=21% 16-21=23% 21 above= 7% 10. Who was there in your family when you were a child? Single parent= 6% Both parents=81% Grand parents also=11% Relatives=2% 11. Does a Punjabi program interest you? Yes=89 No=11% 12. Would you like to learn or strengthen your Gurmukhi? Yes=61% No=18% Maybe=21% 13. Do you feel this script is losing its importance and needs promotion? Yes=57% No=21% A little=38% 14. What do you think is the reason? Lifestyle changes= 47% Cultural influence=24% Peer pressure=29%
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Survey Results: survey 2
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REVIVAL OF GURMUKHI

Reading and Writing

Statement of the problem and identification of study variables

Significance of the problem

Census History of Punjabi Speakers In India

Assumptions and limitations of the research

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The Gurmukhi Alphabet is also called

Alphabets and pronounciations in gurmukhi

Various symbols for sounds in gurmukhi

The gurmukhi primer

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Determination of research design

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Survey Results: survey 2

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

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