Written by Rinchen Angmo.
The Bodyig script was created owing to the vision and foresight of one of the greatest Tibetan Kings, Chogyal Songsten Gampo, the 7th century ruler of Tibet. The King realized that the advancing kingdom of Tibet would soon require its own script. Chogyal Songsten Gampo sent his intelligent minister Thonmi Sambhota to India with fifteen other young Tibetans so that they could learn Indian languages whereby they could develop a script for Tibet. On Thonmi Sambhota’s return from India, the Tibetan script was finalized.
Bodyig also known in some regions as Bodhik or Bhoti, is the script that became indigenous to Tibet, Ladakh, Lahaul (sTod valley), Spiti, Bhutan (Dzongkha), Baltistan, Sikkim (for Bhutias) and other regions. However, the usage of the script is slowly waning in many regions.
Those of us who use this script in different regions must be aware of the foresight of King Songsten Gampo, because of whom we can today be proud of having our own script and rich literature both in the form of scriptures and secular writing. Having a script is, as per conventional parameters, a mark of intellectual advancement and naturally imbues one with a sense of confidence vis-à-vis one’s culture. When seen from a more tangible lens, one’s own script not only facilitates learning but also trickles down that learning into the ethos of that society. It is because this script was formed that so many Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit and Pali could be translated and can be studied to this day.
The Bodyig script is written either as dBu-chan meaning with head characters i.e the upper line ( written as Uchen) and dBu-med meaning without head characters (written as Umed).
Needless to say, Tibetans all over the world are doing an exemplary job at retaining both the script and their language. However, within Tibet the propagation of the script is coming under more pressure with increasing control tactics by the Communist Party of China.
Ladakhi language is also written in Bodyig. However, Ladakhi language is not mutually intelligible with Standard Tibetan.
A recent order by the UT government in Ladakh, that has made a Bodhik version of names compulsory for all commercial boards is a truly welcome step. After all, one of the best ways to preserve a script is by increasing its visibility. Moreover, with more Ladakhis writing their names in Bodhik on their Instagram bio, visibilization of the script is taking welcome new forms. However, I feel that the way in which Bodhik is introduced and taught in Ladakh’s schools has great room for improvement. I’ve noticed that in many schools in Ladakh these days, teachers start the first lesson in Bodyig with Umed script instead of Uchen. As someone who barely even knows the script, I am no one to comment, but I suppose it is common knowledge and common sense that beginners should start their lesson with Uchen. For small children this is particularly important because I’ve seen first hand that the style of Umed is very difficult for them to grasp.
In Lahaul’s sTod valley and in Spiti valley, the script is being lost among the younger generation due to lack of its dissemination in schools. In Sikkim too, where the script is indigenous to the Bhutias, the script’s dissemination amongst the youth appears to be dismal.
The Bodyig script is also indigenous to the Balti people, but they dropped it when Islam reached the region in the 15th century A.D. But the spoken language of the Shias in Kargil and Baltistan in Pakistan continues to be Balti, an evolved dialect of the Tibetan language. In Kargil, people ignorantly dismiss the script thinking that the term Bodhik is associated with Buddhism, whereas Bodhik appears to be an evolved form of the original term Bodyig which literally means Tibetan script (Bod kyi yige).
Nonetheless, nowadays many people from Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan are trying to revive the Podyig script to resist the oppression and homogenisation efforts by Pakistan; Mr. Senge Tsering is one those spearheading the cultural revival in Gilgit-Baltistan, with an emphasis on reviving Bogyig (Tibetan script) and Baltistan’s historical ties to Tibet and Ladakh.
In Bhutan, their language Dzongkha is written in both the Uchen form and in ‘Jyoyig’, a unique form halfway between Uchen and Bodyig’s cursive script Chugyig.
In order to preserve and proliferate the Bodyig script, teachers can play a very important role by facilitating the process of learning. These days there are many online platforms and books to learn Bodyig.
Since most regions where the script is used are under geopolitical as well as climatic tensions, it becomes important to take steps to preserve the script. After all, a script is more than just letters, a script is a mark of civilization and a means to preserve centuries old values and philosophy. Let’s not reach a day when our own script appears cryptic; lets learn while there is time to tick.
reference:
‘A Cultural History of Ladakh’ by Nawang Tsering Shakspo.
