Rajapatni.com: Surabaya (11/11/24) – India is the country where the Indonesian script began. A fairly long journey, which started from the Pallawa (South Indian) script and then became the Indonesian Nusantara script, such as Kawi, Carakan and Balinese. According to genealogy, it is generally known that from Pallawa it descended to the Kawi script (Old Javanese), then to Carakan (New Javanese), including the Balinese script.
Having the opportunity to receive a scholarship in the ITEC program from the Indian government, Ita Surojoyo from the Surabaya Javanese Script Community, Puri Aksara Rajapatni, takes advantage of it to see up close how their traditional script can be preserved amidst the progress of the times.
There are quite a lot of traditional Indian scripts. Almost every region has its own script. For example, there are Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Urdu. There are others. Meanwhile, the Devanagari script is the National and official script in India. Devanagari script is used in every region, states across the country.
Apart from Devanagari which is traditionally used, India cannot be separated from the use of Latin script, which is international because of the civilization of the times. Always using traditional script is an effort to fortify national identity.
This joint effort is due to the awareness of the Indian people in using their traditional script, both local, regional and national. This awareness is believed to have saved the traditional script from being marginalized by the (international) Latin script. Therefore, traditional Indian script is able to compete with international script, Latin in modern times.
From field observations by Ita Surojoyo (founder of Puri Aksara Rajapatni), who is in India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program by the Government of India, it is known that on public information boards there is the use of traditional script, in addition to Latin script.
The use of traditional script in public places is a way of protecting and preserving traditional script. Another is that traditional script is still taught in the formal school curriculum. This method is a structured and massive pattern. Implementation through the education sector certainly cannot be separated from government policy. So that children from an early age are introduced to the intellectual traditions of their ancestors. In turn, they will use their script in everyday life.
The government’s role policy is good will in saving national heritage. Through this policy, traditional script is not only used in schools but also in society.
For example, several signs on campus and at tourist attractions and other public places. The traditional script is the local script according to the location. For example, in Hyderabad, Tengelana state, the local traditional script is Telugu. The traditional national script is Devanagari. Including the use of international Latin script.
Protection of traditional script is also done through digital methods. So that in various contemporary technological devices, traditional Indian script is part of the service.
Don’t forget the use of traditional Indian script in mass media, both electronic and conventional (print and paper). Not to mention the printing and intellectual industry products which produce books with traditional script.
All of these processes go through habituation over time so that there is a natural revitalization process that is full of awareness by the residents.
Indonesia is also a country rich in traditional script. In Java there is Carakan, West Java there is Sundanese, Bali there is Balinese script and there are still others. There are around 15 recorded traditional scripts in Indonesia. Are they used? (PAR/nng)