Page 3 - Jul - Sep 2021
P. 3
VOL. 18 No. 3
ALL ABOUT WRITING
Just as important as the material on which writing was done, was how this writing was
done. It was a fascinating process carried out by a few people using special equipments.
THE SCRIBE THE INK
In ancient India, a class of professionals was Ink or masi was prepared by
responsible for processing, preparing, crushing and mixing various
and writing the manuscript! plant resins and minerals.
According to the Arthashastra, the Sometimes, fresh leaf juices
scribe was expected “to have the were also used! In the medieval
qualities of a minister.” An early period, ink was prepared by mixing lamp soot, gum, and
representation of a scribe with rainwater. Ink pots or kalam dan were made from brass.
a writing plank can be seen at
S.K. Shalini, Class 10, G.D. Matric Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore;
Nagarjunakonda. Illustration by Diksha, Delhi Public Mehek Manish Neb, Class 12, Centre Point School, Katol Road, Nagpur
School, Chhatarpur
ACTIVITY: MY INDIA INK
THE INSTRUMENT Make your own India Ink. Take charcoal ash or lamp
Lekhani refers to any writing instrument. Writing black. Add distilled water to it slowly. Then add a drop of
implements are of three types – pens, brushes, and vinegar. You can make coloured ink by soaking fl owers in
incision instruments like stylus or knife. water too!
Pens were made from wood, reed, bamboo, and THE BINDING
vulture or goose quills. The bamboo reed pen, Isika, was
prepared by cutting and trimming the reed with a sharp Ancient palm leaf manuscripts were bound by tying
knife. together the sheafs with a rope. Folded binding was
Avneka Mahindru, Class 8A, Ajanta Public School, Gurugram widely used in the later periods! Later still, sheets were
pierced, folded over each other and tied to the outer
Brushes, made of reed, wood, iron, fi bre, and hair, were cover.
known as kunchika, tuli or
dushika.
HOW TO READ OLD MANUSCRIPTS
Stylus, or śalākā, was made
In order to read the nearly invisible inscribed text, readers
from metal, bone, or ivory. It
had a thicker body for easier would cover the leaf with a black pigment like carbon or
wipe it with a cloth soaked in oil and lampblack!
gripping. Diff erent shapes
of styluses were used. Tulika Bisht, Class 10, Raksha Anusandhan Vidyalaya, Dehradun; Pari Parikh,
Class 8, Delhi Public School Megacity, Kolkata
Aarna Wadhawan, Class 8, Gyan
Bharti School, New Delhi; Lassya Patri or Gunati or Domuha or ACTIVITY: DIY MANUSCRIPT!
Priya, Class 2, Gitanjali Primary ear-shaped knife- pointed-
School, Hyderabad shaped head Here is how a palm leaf manuscript is
made-
ACTIVITY: Bury leaves in sand and sprinkle water.
QUIRKY QUILL Put them in turmeric solution and sour
boiled rice water for 30 minutes.
Select a feather of your choice Dry and tie the leaves together. Add
Scrape off the membrane on the end. wooden covers for protection.
Cut it sharply at an angle, and sharpen it. Watch this fi lm: https://www.youtube.
Your quill is ready! Dip it in an ink pot com/watch?v=Q72KDDMnjp4 to create Illustrations by Priyanshu
and write away... your own palm leaf manuscript at Dev, Class 8; Taniya Negi,
Class 10, Raksha Anusandhan
home!
Vidyalaya, Dehradun
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