Guru Angad Standardizes Gurmukhi Script

Dadi: "Guddu, can you read and write?"

Guddu: "Of course, Dadi! We learn in school."

Dadi: "But what if there were no schools? What if only a few special people could read, and everyone else had to pay them for help?"

Guddu: "That doesn't sound fair."

Dadi: "It wasn't. And that's why Guru Angad, the second Sikh Guru, did something revolutionary."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "He gave ordinary people a way to read for themselves. He standardized a script called Gurmukhi."

Guddu: "Gurmukhi? What does that mean?"

Dadi: "It means "from the mouth of the Guru." Before Guru Angad, most religious texts were written in Sanskrit - a very difficult language that only priests could read."

Guddu: "So if you weren't a priest, you couldn't read holy books?"

Dadi: "Exactly! If you wanted to hear prayers or perform ceremonies, you had to pay a priest. Ordinary farmers, workers, women - they were kept away from knowledge."

Guddu: "That's not right!"

Dadi: "Guru Nanak, the first Guru, agreed. He composed beautiful hymns in the language of the common people - Punjabi. But there was still a problem. How would people learn to read and write these hymns?"

Guddu: "They needed an alphabet!"

Dadi: "Yes! And Guru Angad created one. He took older scripts that existed in Punjab and simplified them. He made an alphabet with only thirty-five letters."

Guddu: "Thirty-five? Our Hindi alphabet has more than that!"

Dadi: "And Sanskrit had fifty-two! Gurmukhi was designed to be simple. Any child could learn it. Any farmer could master it. It was a gift to ordinary people."

Guddu: "That's so clever!"

Dadi: "But creating the alphabet was only the beginning. Guru Angad opened schools where anyone could learn Gurmukhi - young and old, rich and poor, men and women."

Guddu: "Even women could go to school?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. At a time when most people thought education was only for certain people, the Guru said everyone deserves to read. He made it compulsory for all Sikhs to learn Gurmukhi."

Guddu: "Why was reading so important to him?"

Dadi: "Because he wanted people to read Gurbani - the sacred words of the Gurus - for themselves. He didn't want them depending on priests who might change the meaning or charge money. He wanted a direct connection between people and God."

Guddu: "So Gurmukhi freed people?"

Dadi: "In a way, yes! Knowledge is power, beta. When you can read, you can think for yourself. You can ask questions. You can learn new things without depending on others."

Guddu: "Is Gurmukhi still used today?"

Dadi: "Absolutely! The entire Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, is written in Gurmukhi. Millions of people read it every day. The script that Guru Angad standardized five hundred years ago is still teaching people today."

Guddu: "That's amazing! His work lasted so long!"

Dadi: "Some gifts keep on giving, beta. Every child who learns to read Gurmukhi, every person who opens the Guru Granth Sahib, every prayer spoken in gurdwaras around the world - they all connect back to Guru Angad's decision to give learning to everyone."

Guddu: "Dadi, this makes me appreciate reading more. I didn't know someone had to fight for people to learn!"

Dadi: "*smiles* Many people throughout history have fought for knowledge to be shared freely. Books, schools, libraries - none of these are accidents. Someone had to believe that everyone deserves to learn."

Guddu: "Thank you, Guru Angad. And thank you, Dadi, for telling me."

Dadi: "And thank you for listening, my little reader. Now, you know what would honor Guru Angad's gift?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "Picking up a book and reading before bed. Knowledge is a treasure - use it well!"

Guddu: "I will, Dadi!"