<div class="gmail_quote"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div>Dear Wikimedia community,
<p>The highlights of the month of November for the Wikimedia Chapter (India) are provided below:
</p>
<h2> <span>Administrative matters</span></h2>
<h3> <span>Membership</span></h3>
<p>The Chapter membership stands at 185 as of 30 November 2011. This is
nearly double the number of members we had two months ago. The Chapter
saw an increase of 72 members who applied for spot membership at
WikiConference 2011 organized last month in Mumbai.
</p>
<h3> <span>Donations</span></h3>
<p>Dr Amit Keshri became the first person to donate to our Chapter. We
express our sincere thanks to Dr Keshri and others for their generous
contributions towards the young chapter.<br>
Total donations received in Nov 2011 - INR 3601.<br>
Average donations in Nov 2011 - INR 900.25.<br>
</p>
<h3> <span>FCRA </span></h3>
<p>We have applied for FCRA prior permission under the Foreign
Contribution (Regulation) Act with the Government of India on 5 November
2011 to be able to receive funds <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:WM_IN/Bootstrap_Grant" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">[1]</a> from Wikimedia Foundation. The expected time for processing is 3 to 4 months.
</p><p>New organizations like ours can receive foreign contributions
after seeking project based prior permission from the Ministry of Home
Affairs. We are seeking permission so as to receive the grant amount
allotted to us by the Wikimedia Foundation in the United States
</p><p>Another alternative is to apply for FCRA registration, which will
facilitate the receipt of foreign contributions. However, such
permissions are only granted to organizations with a proven track record
of function in their chosen field of work for a period of three years.
</p>
<h2> <span>Wiki Conference India 2011</span></h2><div></div>
<p>The first Annual India WikiConference 2011 <sup>[1]</sup> was
organized in Mumbai on 18-20 November 2011 at the University of Mumbai.
The conference was jointly hosted by the Wikimedia community in Mumbai
and the chapter, along with scores of volunteers from around the
country. This was the first time that the Indian Wikimedia community
has come together to participate at a national level to organize a
conference at this scale.<sup>[2]</sup> The conference organizing team was lead by Pranav Curumsey (Chair), Pradeep Mohandas (Treasurer) and Moksh Juneja (Secretary).<sup>[3]</sup>
</p><p>Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, inaugurated the conference
by delivering a keynote on "Community Building: The Wiki Way in India".
He also said that this event was probably one of the largest Wikimedia
events in the world. Approximately 700 delegates from all over the
country attended the three day national conference. Full and partial
scholarships were given to 98 awardees out of 7070 applicants. MOre
than 50 sessions<sup>[4]</sup> focused on community building, improving
quality of articles, Mediawiki, establishing partnerships, Wikipedia
India Education Program and sharing of experiences and best practices.
Some of the invited speakers included Professor Krishna Kumar, Anand
Kumar and Arnab Goswami. The state of Indic Wikiprojects track
showcased the current state of each Wikimedian community in India. The
conference also received very impressive and enthusiastic coverage from
the national and international media.<sup>[5]</sup>
</p><p>As a part of the Chapter track, an overview<sup>[6]</sup> was presented by President Arjuna Rao Chavala. The "Noteworthy Wikimedian Recognition" ceremony<sup>[7]</sup>
was anchored by Arun Ramarathnam, member of the executive committee
which honored several Wikimedians across different Wikiprojects
pertinent to India.<sup>[8]</sup>
</p><p>Images and presentations from the conference have been uploaded to the Wikimedia Commons<sup>[9]</sup>.
</p><p>Chapter thanks the organizing team for doing a phenomenal job for
making this event successful, and to to all the chapter members and
volunteers spread across the country who contributed so much of their
time and effort. Chapter also thanks Wikimedia Foundation and all other
sponsors for their support and cooperation.
</p>
<h2> <span>City and Language SIG</span></h2>
<p>The Wikimedia Chapter is proud to announce the first batch of City and Language SIG Chairs<sup>[10]</sup> from its members as given below:
</p>
<ul><li> Odiya SIG - Subhashish Panigrahi (<a href="http://or.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AC%AC%E0%AD%8D%E0%AD%9F%E0%AC%AC%E0%AC%BE%E0%AC%B9%E0%AC%BE%E0%AC%B0%E0%AC%95%E0%AC%BE%E0%AC%B0%E0%AD%80:Psubhashish" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Odiya user page of Subhashish</a>).
</li><li> Bengali SIG - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayantanth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jayanta Nath</a>.
</li><li> Sanskrit SIG <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:MikeLynch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Swaroop Rao</a>.
</li></ul>
<p>We look forward to your continued support and active participation in our activities. <br></p></div></div><p>Report is present at <a href="http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Reports/November_2011_Report" target="_blank">http://wiki.wikimedia.in/Reports/November_2011_Report</a><br>
</p><div><p></p><p>Best,
</p><p>On behalf of Wikimedia Chapter (India)</p><p></p><p>Thanks,<br><font color="#888888">Naveen Francis<br>Secretary, Wikimedia India Chapter<br>
<a href="http://wiki.wikimedia.in/" target="_blank"><img alt="File:Wikimedia India logo.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Wikimedia_India_logo.svg/584px-Wikimedia_India_logo.svg.png" height="77" width="75"></a></font></p>
</div>
<p><br>
</p><p>Notes:
</p>
<ul><li> 1) <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011</a>
</li><li> 2) <a href="http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/02/wikiconference-india/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/02/wikiconference-india/</a>
</li><li> 3) <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Community_and_Team" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Community_and_Team</a>
</li><li> 4) <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Programs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2011/Programs</a>
</li><li> 5) <a href="http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-November/005203.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediaindia-l/2011-November/005203.html</a>
</li><li> 6) <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WikimediaIndiaOverview.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WikimediaIndiaOverview.pdf</a>
</li><li> 7) <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/NWR_2011_and_Jury_mention_V1.0.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/NWR_2011_and_Jury_mention_V1.0.pdf</a>
</li><li> 8) <a href="http://wiki.wikimedia.in/NWR_2011" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://wiki.wikimedia.in/NWR_2011</a>
</li><li> 9) <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiConference_India_2011" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiConference_India_2011</a>
</li><li> 10) <a href="http://members.wikimedia.in/City_and_Language_Special_Interest_Group_subcommittee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://members.wikimedia.in/City_and_Language_Special_Interest_Group_subcommittee</a>
</li></ul><br clear="all"><br>
</div></div><br>
<br>