The Times of India
April 08, 2016

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed a cellphone application for learning Modi script.

Also, the city-based C-DAC has developed a software that would convert Devnagri script to Modi for its users. Both these softwares will be available for free from Friday when they will be launched during CDAC's foundation day .

Addressing a news conference on Thursday , Rajat Moona, director general, C-DAC, and Hemant Darbari, executive director, C-DAC, said, “Multilingual and heritage computing is one of the major thematic area of the C-DAC. This is for the first time that such tools have been developed for the proliferation and preservation of the historic Modi script.“

Modi script was invented as a cursive “shorthand“ or speed writing to note down the royal edicts. Over the centuries, the script has undergone several changes and can be classified as Bahamani (16th century), Shivkalin (17th century), Peshwekalin (18th century) and Anglakalin (19th -20th century).

Darbari said, “C-DAC, Pune will dedicate the Modi script tools to the nation and will make them available freeof-cost to the public. Currently, the tools available include an Android app for learning Modi script and Marathi (Devnagari) to Marathi (Modi) web converter. This will help users read existing Marathi sites in Modi script.“

Moona said traditional Devnagari was found to be excessively time-consuming since each character required as many as three to five strokes and the lifting of the hand each time the stroke was completed. Modi overcame this obstacle by bending the letters, thereby , doing away with the need of lifting the hand. This invention allowed for a continuous writing which could be used by court scribes to note the edicts.

“All official documents from the Maratha empire spread across India are archived in Modi script. Learning this script is, therefore, useful to academicians, historians, researchers and legal experts and also for knowing more about the cultural heritage,“ said Moona.

He said there are two other products which have been developed by the C-DAC, including the Integrated Cluster Solution (InClus) Suite. “It is a management and monitoring software which overcomes the technical challenges faced in setting up of high-performance computing systems. The second product, called MGA-viewer, helps in providing valuable insights to study evolutionary biology and understand the genome dynamics.

All the products would be launched during the foundation day at the Chandrashekhar Auditorium at the Interuniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics on Friday at 3pm.