Literacy In Nine Days Only (LINDO)

Mandala approach to literacy

Mandala or Yantra is a symbolic depiction of the manifest and non-manifest

realities in the universe. People in India and elsewhere have been practicing
different techniques of meditations for thousands of years on the Shri Yantra
(Shri Vidya Mandala). It is also considered to be the abode of the Divine
Mother or the Goddess of Supreme Knowledge (Shri Vidya). Shri Yantra’s
beauty, complex design and geometry has always amazed and puzzled the
artists, mystics and scientists.

Shri Yantra contains the mysteries of the origin and evolution of language and
knowledge. It is the abode of the Supreme Intelligence and incorporates the
code of phonetic alphabet.

The inner part of Shri Yantra has four triangles with apexes upwards and five
triangles with apexes downwards. Intersection of lines of the nine triangles are
called Chakras (circles) although they appear as hexagons. These hexagons
constitute the base of 42 blue triangles called Shiva or consciousness areas.
There is one more blue triangle inside the smallest hexagon. Other 46 areas
are called Shakti or energy areas and are colored pink. When hexagons are
converted into circles, the total number of blue and pink areas remains 89 (43
blue and 46 pink). The inner part of Shri Yantra may be depicted as a
Mandala or Yantra as follows:
We may consider this mandala as a flower of writing symbols or script.
Learning to read and write the writing symbols would be to arrange the petals
of the flower in a tray (tray=yellow; blue petals=43; pink petals=46; rows of
petals=9 including the central circle’s petals). Each petal is assigned a writing
symbol and the 9 rows are arranged in 9 steps or 9 lessons for teaching the
script. We will call the circular petals as chakras and the full form of flower in a
tray like frame as Alphabet Yantra.

The empty tray on which writing symbols in the form of petals of the flower are
to be arranged, is as follows:

The 9 lessons (paat'ha) or steps for learning Romanaagarii or Saral Roman

script can be covered in 9 days.
 Day-1
(Basic vowels)
Writing symbols:
a aa i ii

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-1

There is no vowel base in Romanaagarii. In Saral Roman the vowel base is

invisible.
 Day-2
(Basic consonants)
Writing symbols:
k c t’ t p y s n
Phonemes:
ka ca t’a ta pa ya sa na

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-2

 Day-3
(Other vowels)

Writing symbols:

u uu e ee o oo m' h'

All vowels:

a aa i ii u uu e ee o oo m' h'

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-3

 Day-4
(Associate consonants)

Writing symbols:

g j d’ d b m r l v h

Phonemes:

ga ja d’a da ba ma ra la va ha

baaraha khar’ii:

ka kaa ki kii ku kuu ke kee ko koo kam' kah'

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-4

 Day-5
( Numbers and counting)
Writing symbols:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
In words:
shuunya eka do tiin caara paam'ca chah' saat aat’ha noo
Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-5
 Day-6
(Aspirated consonants)
Writing symbols:
kh gh ch jh t’h d’h th dh ph bh
Phonemes:
kha gha cha jha t’ha d’ha tha dha pha bha
Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-6
 Day-7
(Text punctuation and arithmetic symbols)
Writing symbols:
. , ; ? ! + - * / =

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-7

 Day-8
(Other consonants)
Writing symbols:
sh s’ n’ m’ ñ r’ r’h
’ k’ k’h g’ z f v’
Phonemes:
sha s’a n’a m’a ña r’a r’ha
’a k’a k’ha g’a za fa v’a

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-8

 Day-9
Writing symbols:
( ) / \ < > :
* @ & ' " # %

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Day-1