<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">ANNOUNCING A NEW WIKIPROJECT</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></div>
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<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(WikiProject Offline Wikipedia for Indian Schools)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"><br>
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<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"> Dear friends,</span><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">This is to announce the beginning of a new project for WikiProject India - </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">WikiProject Offline Wikipedia for Indian Schools</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">
(OWIS). For quite some time now, there has been a need for an offline
wikipedia compilation suitable to Indian schools. There are, and have
always been, a whole lot of Indian schools and students out there who
do not have access to an English encyclopedia. The web has killed off a
whole range of printed encyclopedias and factbooks besides paid
encyclopedia packages such as Encarta. If the school does not provide
wide-spread, regular and dependable access to the web. then the students
have zilch. So, keeping in mind that English Wikipedia has been around
for more than a decade and has more than enough material for an
encyclopedia, we began this project so that all interested people could
pitch in and collectively prepare such offline compilations which are
the need of the hour.</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">About the Wikiproject</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">To do this, we began a new WikiProject in English Wikipedia, daughter to WikiProject India. Titled </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">WikiProject Offline Wikipedia for Indian Schools</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">
(OWIS), it is intended to be the umbrella WikiProject for all Indian
versions of offline English language wikipedias for students and
communities. The WikiProject will concentrate on </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#0000ff;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">content issues</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"> and leave the production to a team of technically oriented guys from the community (to be decided later).</span></p>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">You can read about the WikiProject page here:</span><br>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools</span></a><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">Under
this WikiProject, it is proposed to provide a variety of compilations
suitable for various needs, such as a full offline encyclopedia, single
disc collations on topics related to India etc. </span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">The first project</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">To
begin with, we felt it is best to create a single DVD compilation with
all subjects covered in sufficient detail. We have named it as </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">Offline Wikipedia for Indian Schools (Full version) </span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">or
OWIS-FULL (in short). <br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"><br>
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">It is based on and will be similar to the SOS
Children’s Village Offline Wikipedia for School which you can checkout
for yourself at this link:</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://schools-wikipedia.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://schools-wikipedia.org/</span></a><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">The project page for this first project is here:</span><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#0000ff;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools/Offline_Full" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools/Offline_Full</span></a><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">The
SOS village compilation is CD based with approximately 6500 articles
based on the British educational syllabus. Naturally, it contains a
large number of topics relevant only to the UK and has a distinct
Western flavour in its overall choice too, which is only natural. </span><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">To
make this compilation suitable for our environment, we will have to not
only add a whole host of new articles on Indian topics to the
compilation but also remove topics/articles irrelevant to Indian
students. In addition, the SOS Children’s Encyclopaedia, being in
existence for the last few years, is designed to fit on a CD with the
consequence that the number of articles on a subject cover a subject
satisfactorily but skimpily. Since we plan our compilation to be on a
DVD, there is scope to improve coverage on all subjects as well. Hence
it is planned to have in the region of around 9000 articles.</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">So
where are we now? As a first step we have established the framework in
the form of the WikiProject and pages where one can work. The list of
topics from the SOS compilation has been prepared subjectwise. These
lists need to be vetted/improved/extended and then finalised.</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">As
of now, six subjects have been opened up for topic selection - Art, IT,
Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. We need motivated editors to
join the teams and pitch in. The selection of topics needs to be
completed in ten days time so that we can move on to other subjects,
other tasks.</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">So,
if this venture interests you, if you want to do something really
important with us, if you agree with our proposition that this is
critical for delivering the potential of Wikipedia to
digitally-challenged communities, sign up here:</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools/Offline_Full#Members" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000099;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Offline_Wikipedia_for_Indian_Schools/Offline_Full#Members</span></a><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">All the best to all of us to successfully complete this vital project.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">This email is being reflected on Wikimedia India list for information. But If you would like to respond to this, please respond to on the English Wikipedia for India mailing list -</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> <a href="https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-en" target="_blank">https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-in-en</a></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">Everyone is welcome to subscribe to it.<br>
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<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline">Ashwin Baindur</span></p><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline"></span><br>
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