Hi,

I have some concerns regarding this whole process which, I think, need to be addressed as soon as possible.

As far as I have understood, Samir is coming to India to get feedback from the Indian affiliates and communities about the re-branding proposal and report it back to WMF. Re-branding is a very debatable proposal which will definitely affect, in a controversial and unclear way, the future of almost all emerging communities, affiliates and sister projects.

So, my questions are, ‌1) Why was information about Samir's trip to India, not declared to the communities well ahead of time so that the communities and affiliates could express their voices and concerns directly with preparation? ‌2) Who decided that visiting only Punjabi, Hindi and Bangalore communities is sufficient enough to provide the feedback of all Indian communities? Why were not other communities and affiliates included in the process? What criteria these three communities met so that they can represent the voices from all over the country and why not other communities consulted about this? ‌Why is Samir staying in Patiala, Delhi and Bangalore for extra days for local sightseeing and not utilizing the days to communicate with other communities and who planned for this kind of schedule? ‌How will it be ensured to provide ample opportunity for community members to express their opinions? Online session is not a good option as many don't have the necessary infrastructure to do so.

There is a feeling in the community that re-branding is already a made decision by the WMF and this kind of non-transparency further endorses that theory.

Hoping to get positive responses.

Regards, Manoj Kulkarni