Forwarding two emails from Anay Joglekar, one below the other - related to Marathi wikipedia. Highlights are his; will upload the report separately and inform the list.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, who heads ORF is a former IIT alumnus and journalist who was a close aide to AB Vajpayee and quit the BJP in 2009.
All thoughts welcome. Bishakha
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anay Joglekar anay.joglekar@gmail.com
Dear Jimmy Wales,
Your lecture and interaction on Wikipedia in India was delightful. I feel lucky to know about it just 24 hours earlier completely by chance (while surfing Wikipedia Marathi) and getting an opportunity to interact with you. I am thankful to Kundan and Bishakha for being so responsive and forthcoming. We look forward to meet soon and discuss possibilities of cooperation and the role Observer Research Foundation can play in further popularising Wiki movement in Indian languages.
I am sharing with you the note I shared with Bishakha which summarises work and point of view of ORF Mumbai. Also find attached a report by IAMAI on content in Indian languages.
I will appreciate if you could forward me a copy of your presentation. Many of my friends would like to see it.
Regards,
Anay Joglekar Associate Fellow Observer Research Foundation Mumbai 9769474645
[image: orf-logo.jpg]
* *
*ORF Research Report: ICT for Maharashtra, ICT through Marathi*
* *
*Summery *
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are transforming our world in revolutionary ways. However, the doors of the New World being created by ICT are mostly shut for a majority of the people in India. For at the signboards at its entrance is written: "English-speaking People Preferred." Those who speak only Marathi (and this is true for other native Indian languages, too) cannot (*by default and easily*) use computer and mobile phones in Marathi or send email and sms in Marathi. There is very little useful information in Marathi on the Internet, even though it offers an ocean of information in English. Ironically, the much-trumpeted e-Governance measures have remained mostly English-Governance initiatives. Thus, the linguistic divide is further deepening the Digital Divide in Maharashtra and the rest of India. This has also created a mortal threat to the future of Marathi and other Indian languages, since the young generation has come to believe that learning in Marathi is useless and English education alone provides the passport to prosperity.
The Observer Research Foundation Mumbai believes that this situation of exclusive development is unacceptable. Maharashtra, which is celebrating its golden jubilee year, must take determined steps to secure for Marathi an honoured placed in the ICT Revolution. Hence we published “*महाराष्ट्रासाठी माहिती तंत्रज्ञान**,** **मराठीतून माहिती तंत्रज्ञान**”* (ICT for Maharashtra, ICT through Marathi) report along with Marathi Abhyas Kendra.
The report describes how other countries in the world, such as Israel, China, Japan and Korea have developed ICT in there own languages, thereby achieving phenomenal results. It shows promotion of ICT in Marathi can create employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Marathi-speaking people on a large scale, both in urban and in rural areas, besides bridging regional disparities in the state. It calls for a big boost to be given to e-education, telemedicine, e-banking, e-commerce, ICT-assisted agriculture and e-justice throughMarathi. E-Governance in Marathi can bring government closer to the common people, and make it transparent and accountable. Most importantly, ICT in Marathi can help protect and further enrich Maharashtra’s priceless heritage of arts, culture, literature, cinema, and endangered folk traditions.
To realize this vision, the report urges the Government to (a) ensure affordable broadband connectivity, with speeds comparable to the highest in the world, in every corner of the state; (b) make it compulsory for computer and mobile companies to make their products and services Marathi-compatible; (c) universalize use of Unicode Marathi, beginning with its introduction in all official communication and websites; (d) *incentivise* *digital content creation in **Marathi** on a massive scale*; and (e) give special focus to bring Marathi-speaking youth women, SC/STs, OBCs and other weaker sections of society within the ambit of ICT Revolution.
In short, promotion of ICT in Marathi is indispensable for the all-round, accelerated and inclusive development of Maharashtra. Can we aim for anything less in the Golden Jubilee Year of the state?
Important announcements made by the chief minister while inaugurating the ORF Report –
1. Government to allocate Rs. 10 million for digitization of copyright free literature, manuscripts and important documents.
2. Government will make 18 volumes of Marathi Encyclopedia available on the internet in Unicode text format.
3. Government will make sure that In-script (bi-lingual) keyboards will be easily available everywhere in the state.
4. All the websites of the Government of Maharashtra will be made available in Unicode Marathi.
5. Promised to call a meeting of representatives of leading ICT companies and asked ORF to decide agenda for localization in Marathi.
*Some Quick Facts/Points – *
* *
1. Total Telephone subscriber base reached to 706.37 Million (Wireless 670.60 + Wireline 35.77)
2. Broadband subscription is 10.08 million. *TRAI Report Aug 2010*
3. Peak connection speed – 4.7 mbps (0.5%), Above 2 mbps speed (4.3%) average connection speed – 800 kbps, Below 256 kbps (30%) *AKMAI Q2** ***
4. Internet Users – Claimed – 71 million, Active users 52 million (use internet more than once a month) and Users aware of vernacular content 13 million *IAMAI Vernacular Content Report 2009 ** ***
5. Rural Internet Users – 6.46 million, Active Users – 4.18 million (Rural Population: > 750 million)
6. Times of India (World’s highest circulated English newspaper) ranks 8thamong top 10 Indian Newspapers (readership). Other 9 are Indian languages. Same is true about television viewership in India. Out of around 250 TV channels, most popular channels are in Indian languages.
7. On the other hand when it comes to Wikipedia pages – Hindi(57,287), Marathi(31,400), Bengali (21886), Tamil (25,627) against 3.4 million pages in English, 1.13 million in German, 1.01 million in French – Even Hebrew has 1,10,364 pages.
* *
*Making keying of Indic content default, easy and in standardized form will take few more years. Therefore we believe that Wikipedia India shall collaborate with governments, publishers and other institutions which have large volumes of textual resources, copyrights free and suitable for encyclopedia projects and make it available on the internet and organizations like ORF which share this agenda. It will create greater awareness among Netizens in India about vernacular content and will encourage them to edit and add new content.*
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anay Joglekar ajoglekar@orfonline.org Date: 30 October 2010 14:56 Subject: About Observer Research Foundation Mumbai and Possibility of meeting with Mr. Jimmy Wales To: kundanamitabh@gmail.com
Dear Kundan Amitabh,
I am glad to email you on the backdrop of the 3rd Wikipedia Meet-up in Mumbai. I would like to attend the event along with few colleagues of mine from Observer Research Foundation Mumbai.
Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is a leading non-partisan Indian think tank that seeks to influence public policy formulation. It was established in New Delhi in 1990 by the late R.K. Mishra, a widely respected public figure, who envisaged it as a broad-based intellectual platform pulsating with ideas needed for India’s nation-building.
In its journey of twenty years, ORF has brought together leading Indian policymakers, academics, public figures, social activists and business leaders to discuss various issues of national importance. ORF scholars have made significant contributions toward improving government policies. ORF has so far produced a large body of critically acclaimed publications.
Until recently, ORF’s activities were based mainly in New Delhi. Beginning in 2010, ORF Mumbai has been established to pursue the Foundation’s vision in India’s business and financial capital. *Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni*, former aide to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Shri L.K. Advani and a columnist in the Indian Express is its chairman.ORF Mumbai conducts research and advocacy in six broad areas: Education, Public Health, Inclusive Development, Urban Renewal, Youth Development, and *Protection and Promotion of India’s Priceless Artistic and Cultural Heritage*.
Indian languages which represent India's rich ethos, culture and heritage and are facing the threat of extinction. Our neglect towards making available benefits of ICT revolution through Indian languages has caused widening digital divide. On one hand, there are issues related to standardization (complete localization) and making various softwares and operating systems in Indian languages available by default and on the other hand, there are serious issues of content creation in Indian languages. ORF organised a roundtable on *ICT for and through Marathi* in March 2010 and brought together representatives of state govt., media, IT companies along with grass root activists. As a followup ORF published a research report - *महाराष्ट्रासाठी माहिती तंत्रज्ञान, मराठीतून माहिती तंत्रज्ञान*http://orfmumbai.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/marathi-report-final-060610.pdf. It was released by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Ashok Chavan on 07 Sept. 2010.
ORF Mumbai is willing to work closely with the government and private sector to make more content available in Indian languages. As part of this - we have pledged to increase content on Wikipedia (Marathi) 10 times within a year through public participation. We are working with the state government to make available - voluminous Encyclopedia (मराठी विश्वकोश) on the internet in Unicode Marathi (currently they are in scanned format).
It will be our great pleasure for us to participate in tomorrow's meeting, get to know more about the plans of Wikipedia foundation and explore possibilities of working together. It will be great if you could explore possibility of a meeting between Mr. Wales and Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni (this time or next time) or working together to spread wikipedia movement in Indian languages.
Looking forward to see you tomorrow.
Regards,
Anay Joglekar
Associate Fellow
*Observer Research Foundation * NKM International House, 5th Floor, 178, Backbay Reclamation, Babubhai Chinai Marg, Mumbai 400 020. Ph: 022-6131 3800 Fax: 022 - 2288 6264
Cell: 9769474645 http://www.observerindia.com