Rajasthani language has two scripts – Mudia and Devnagari Script.
Modia Script (or Mahajani Script/ Banker’s Script)
- Mahajani is a Brahmi-based writing system that was commonly used across northern India until the middle of the 20th century.
- It is a specialized commercial script used for writing accounts and financial records. It was used for recording several languages, namely Hindi, Marwari, and Punjabi.
- Mahajani has similarities to the scripts namely – Landa of punjab (tailless), Kaithi (bihar-script), and Devanagari.
- Mahajani was taught and used as a medium of education in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh in schools known as “chatshaala”.
- Students from merchant and trading communities learned the script and other writing skills required for business. It is similar to other mercantile scripts like “sarrafi” and “kothiwal”.
- Used for – bahikhatas , Roznamas (merchant diaries), Hundis( bill of exchange)
- “Mahajani-sara-hissaavvala-va-doyama”, written by Lala Gangadasa munsi lal in Delhi in the 19th century and Mahajani-sara, written in Hindi by shrilal in 1875 are instructional manuals for the script.
- ‘Langdi Hindi’, which appears to be a form of the Haryanvi language used specifically for bookkeeping that is written in Mahajani is extinct now from its stronghold.
- Mahajani script was added to the UNICODE in june 2014.