The Problem of Legacy Fonts (Non-Unicode)
In the early days of Indian computers, fonts like Kruti Dev 010 or DevLys 010 were used. These fonts are called 'legacy' or 'ANSI' fonts. To display Hindi, these fonts replace standard English keyboard letters with Hindi symbols. For example, if you type the letter 'd' with Kruti Dev selected, it displays the Hindi letter 'क'. However, the computer still stores this character in its memory as the letter 'd'. If you copy this text and paste it on a website, email, or a device without Kruti Dev installed, it will show up as the English letter 'd'. This made sharing Hindi documents on the web extremely frustrating.
How Unicode Solved This Problem
Unicode does not cheat by replacing English characters. Instead, the Unicode Consortium allocated a dedicated block of mathematical codes (from U+0900 to U+097F) specifically for Devanagari characters. When you write using a Unicode font (like Mangal, Arial Unicode MS, or Lohit Devanagari), the computer stores the actual mathematical code for 'क' (U+0915). Any computer or phone in the world, whether in New Delhi, New York, or Tokyo, recognizes that code as 'क' and displays it correctly. There is no need to install any special font!
Key Advantages of Unicode Hindi Fonts
Unicode is the modern standard and has replaced legacy fonts in most domains. Here is why Unicode is crucial:
- Global Compatibility: Read and write Hindi on emails, WhatsApp, Facebook, websites, and text messages instantly.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo can crawl, read, and index Devanagari Unicode text, whereas they cannot search legacy fonts.
- Government Exams & Standards: Major government departments (like SSC, UPSC, and state PSCs) now conduct typing tests using Devanagari Unicode layouts like Remington GAIL and InScript.
- Data Storage & Analytics: Digital databases and spreadsheet systems store Devanagari text cleanly, enabling accurate searching, sorting, and reporting.