Script
Brahmi was used for written Balti between the 5th to 6th century. However, with the introduction of the Tibetan script under king Khri Getsung-Brtan in the 727 AD, Balti literature flourished. It remained in use until the 16th century, when the Persian script replaced the Balti script. Although, both the Tibetan and Persian scripts were not appropriate for Balti language as it restricts accurate pronunciation of the words due to deformation in writing form, so few years ago Mr. Yousuf Hussainabadi added four new letters to the Tibetan script and seven new letters to the Persian script to adapt both of them according to the need of Balti language, the far western Tibetan dialect. Two of the four added letters now stand included in the Tibetan Unicode alphabet. The Tibetan script had been in vogue in Baltistan till the last quarter of the 14th century A.D when the Baltis converted to Islam. Since then Persian script replaced the Tibetan script, but the Persian script had no letters for seven Balti sounds and has been in vogue in spite of the fact that it didn't fullfil the whole requirement. Addition of the seven new letters has now made it a complete script for Balti language.
And recently a number of Balti scholars and social activists have tried to promote the use of the Tibetan Balti script, Yige, with the aim of helping to preserve indigenous Balti and Ladakhi culture and ethnic identity. Following a request from this community, the September 2006 Tokyo meeting of ISO/IEC 10646 WG2 agreed to encode two characters which are invented by Mr. Yousuf Hussainabadi (U+0F6B TIBETAN LETTER KKA and TIBETAN U+0F6C LETTER RRA) in the ISO 10646 and Unicode standards in order to support rendering Urdu loanwords present in modern Balti using Yige script.
In contemporary Baltiyul, youth like Senge Thsering, Bakir Posingpa, Hassan Shesrab, Raza Tassawor, Zakir Shukur, Taki Akhunzada Namgyal, Nisar Ali Machulo and many others are trying to reintroduce Tibetan/Ladakhi script so that the richness of the Balti language could be promoted and restored. Today one can see many signboards on shops and offices in Tibetan script, a project started by Senge Thsering and Bakir Posingpa in year 2000.
Baltistan Cultural Foundation is an organization trying level best to promote the indigenous script Yige. A primer has been produced by BCF that will be introduced in private schools. Plans are to send Balti teachers to Nepal to learn Tibetan script that could be then taught in local Balti schools. Friends are requested to send funds to BCF in order to support the vital financial arrangements required in this regard.
Baltis of Kargil have also initiated school projects where Yige (Ladakhi/Tibetan) script is taught at primary level to local students. Muslims of Kargil and Baltistan have started showing enthusiasm in reviving the indigenous Tibetan script and enhancing cultural ties of Ladakh and Baltistan.
Read more about this topic: Balti People
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