Editing Khojki script (section)

==History and evolution of the script==
[[File:Ginan pir shams.jpg|thumb|[[Ginans|Ginan]] attributed to [[Pir Shams]] from Mahan.]]
According to the Nizari Ismaili tradition [[Pir Sadardin]], the 15th-century ''dā’ī'' (preacher), invented the Khojkī script.  While it is now firmly established through epigraphic evidence that the script predates the arrival of the ''dā’ī'' in the form of the Lohānākī or Lārī script, scholars argue that it is very likely that Pīr Ṣadr al-Dīn did in fact play a pivotal role in the evolution, refinement, and the more widespread use of the script.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asani |first=Ali |title=Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |pages=101}}</ref> Dr. Ali Asani, a leading scholar of Ismaili literature and one of the very few academics to systematically study Khojkī manuscripts concludes: "we may surmise that Khojkī is most likely a polished or more developed form of Lohānakī with the legendary Pīr Ṣadr al-Dīn perhaps having played a role in its evolution."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asani |first=Ali |title=Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |pages=126}}</ref>

The early versions of this script were primarily used for trade and mercantilist documentation and by their nature were not well equipped to record literature. Several main issues included: a very limited vowel system, lack of separation between words, inconsistent orthography, together with redundant and ambiguous characters. However, it is important to note that despite the apparent deficiencies of the script this did not mean that there were not already widespread local literary traditions, but rather that they existed primarily in oral forms. Over time solutions to some of these major issues were introduced into the script, with one of the most significant being the development of medial vowel marks called ''lākanā.''<ref>Asani later notes that “it is possible that the ''dā’ī'' Pīr Ṣadr al-Dīn, whom the tradition credits with the invention of the script, may have been responsible rather for introducing the ''lākanā'' and possibly other refinements to Kohjkī.” See ''Ecstasy and Enlightenment'', 104.</ref> A colon-like form of punctuation was also introduced to distinguish between words. Although these developments came rather early and facilitated the recording of ''gināns,'' based on manuscript evidence, it can be inferred that the scrip was continuously evolving right up until the late 19th century. However, it was a common practice for old and deteriorating manuscripts to be respectfully destroyed upon being recopied, thus making tracing the evolution of the script across time a challenge. Apart from the unknown number of manuscripts in private collections, there are currently three institutional collections at the ITREB-Pakistan (Ismaili Tariqa and Religious Education Board) in Karachi, at the IIS (Institute of Ismaili Studies) in London, and at Harvard University.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asani |first=Ali |title=Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |pages=107}}</ref>

In adapting to new printing technologies, the Khojkī script entered a new stage of its development in the early 20th century under the auspice of Lāljī Devrājī, who compiled, edited, and published a range of materials in Khojkī through his Khoja Sindhi Printing Press in Bombay.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Asani |first=Ali |title=Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |pages=108}}</ref> Despite these efforts to utilize various new printing technologies, Dr. Asani reflects that "ironically, the introduction of printing may have also sounded the deathknell for the script."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Asani |first=Ali |title=Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |pages=109}}</ref> Several factors contributed to this decline. During the early 20th century, the "publication of religious literature was centralized and brought under the control of community institutions."<ref name=":0" /> While on the one hand this larger institutional backing aided in more widespread availability and distribution of texts in Khojkī. On the other, "regional variations were a serious problem" because of the "lack of uniformity in the script in different geographical areas."<ref name=":1" /> Additionally, efforts made by the Ismaili Imamate institution to standardize rituals and shift away from the more "Indic" elements that became part of religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of Khoja communities also played a significant role in the shift away from using the Khojkī script.<ref>Bruce, Juan, “The Origins, Evolution, and Decline of the Khojki Script” (Dissertation, University of Reading, 2015), 61. See also Michel Boivin, “Gināns and the Management of the Religious Heritage of the Ismaili Khojas in Sindh,” In ''Gināns: Texts and Contexts'' (Delhi: Primus Books, 2010).</ref> Even though Khojkī is no longer a "living script" access to this corpus can provide unique insights into the ways in which the Ismaili tradition grew and adapted in this specific cultural context, as well as offering insights into how this community envisioned and constructed their own history and identity.