“Sometimes being too capable to others is too bad for yourselves- A telltale of Takri”
DR SHIKHA MAGOTRA
One fine day, a renowned teacher Guru OCR along with his ten students was passing through the mountains of north-west India. It was a long journey traversing each mountain with high peaks and dense forests. The region was rich in old manuscripts of all kinds, stone carvings, writings on copper plates/ pattas, revenue records, royal orders of old times, inscriptions on paintings and temples, sanads/ grant deeds and official as well as political letters. While roaming around the whole region, they found all these interesting manuscripts written in different scripts. Fascinated by the rich culture of the region, Guru OCR decided to stop for some time. So, they stopped near a cottage and Guru OCR began conversation with his students.
Guru OCR: “Students, I have taught you all the tools to work on all kinds of text. Ever since your childhood, when you all began your studies in the Gurukul, I taught you all about how to recognise scripts, their individual characters, segmenting the touching characters and all other steps required for efficient character recognition. We all collected huge databases of the scripts in printed and handwritten forms and worked on their recognition. Then, I also trained you on those enormous databases of your script’s characters and slowly with time, you all learned to recognise even the complex forms of writings too under my supervision. Some of it you all learned without my supervision too, whenever I told you to do so. I have tested you all several times and you all have shown remarkable results.”
All Indian Scripts Recognition: “Yes Guru ji, we have thoroughly learned all these tools of modern machine learning and deep learning approaches taught by you. You have also trained us with huge databases of our scripts.
Guru OCR: “Now, again, I want to test you all. Walking through this interesting mountainous area, I am extremely over-whelmed and want you all to explore this more. I will give a document of text printed in your own scripts; the characters in the document will be touching each other. You need to identify the touching part and then segment it into its individual characters.”
All Indian Scripts Recognition: “Sure Guru ji, We are all ready. We will solve the problem efficiently.”
Guru OCR: “Very Good! Go ahead! Make me proud!”
All Indian scripts recognition began their task of touching text identification and segmentation using more and more efficient tools in their toolbox including machine learning, deep learning and all.
Suddenly, a stranger appeared and solved the touching text quickly.
Guru OCR: (Astonished) “Who is this? Who solved these problems I have given to my students?”
Stranger: (Humbly) “Greetings Guru ji! I am Takri Script Recognition.”
Guru OCR: “Takri! Who are you? Whose family do you belong? From where did you learn these modern approaches of dealing with the text? I didn’t teach you!”
Stranger: “Guru ji! I have descended from Mother Sharada script. I am the sibling of Gurmukhi, the script of Punjab. I don’t have any Guru OCR and not even trained on huge databases. Actually, I was used a century before for writing but with time, people adopted newer scripts and I lost my existence. Whole of my existence now ceased to speech only. People here still use me for speaking in their native languages here. So, I have very little resources/ documents in printed form. I have not learned modern approaches yet.”
“Few people are left here who know me well and can read as well as write in me also. They are striving for my revival. For this, I needed you as my Guru. Knowing that you take official scripts only as your students and I no more belong to the official category, I could not approach you. But, I have thought of you as my Guru always and by imagination of your teachings, I have learned this much till now.”
All Indian Scripts Recognition: “So, you are just a small obsolete regional script of India!”
Stranger: (Humbly) “I am Takri- a class of scripts, not a single one. I include 13 regional scripts of India- Chambeali, Dogri, Kangri, Bhatteali, Kochi, Kulvi, Kashtwari, Mandeali, Gaddi, Gahri, Kinnauri, Jaunsari, Sirmauri. All these scripts were once used for writing in whole of North- West India covering J&K, H.P., Uttarakhand.”
“Yes! You are right. I am an ancient script but not completely obsolete till now. A lot of visitors from far regions come here and are keen for my revival. Moreover, I own a huge part of Cultural Heritage of India.”
All Indian Scripts Recognition: (Astonished) “You cover 13 scripts!! That’s even more than the total number of scripts of India.”
Stranger: “Yes!” (Sad) “But, I am still a stranger for all.”
Guru OCR: “It’s sad on our part. You are a Super Script, Takri. But how did you solved touching text, then?”
Stranger (Takri): “Using Traditional methods of computation, Guru ji. While working on my revival here, I imagined you as my Guru and started working on the few printed forms present. Since, I was not available with enormous database too in printed forms here. Therefore, I decided to make something new derived from the older computation methods used for segmenting touching text.
Guru OCR: “So, the method did not require training on large databases and thus, segmented in a quick and simple way.
Stranger (Takri): Yes Guruji. The method is faster, simpler and at the same time, efficient too.
Guru OCR: “Well Takri! I appreciate your hard work and dedication. But none of your effort will pay unless you get recognition. All I can do is hope for your revival soon. Best Wishes.”
Takri bowed to the Guru OCR.
Saying these words, Guru OCR and his students moved on to complete their journey further.
Takri (a little disappointed) stood there watching them all go out of his sight. He reminded himself of a famous saying- “Not every yearning gets fulfilled”, and got back to work again.
(The writer is Ph.D. Computer Science Engineering
with Specialisation in Takri Script).