What can I say about Wikipedia? Ok, let me ask, can you imagine a world without Wikipedia? I always wonder who wrote, reviewed, edited, curated and moderated 30 million articles in 286 languages. Answer is you and me and us!

Wikipedia, world’s largest and the most referenced work on Internet, has been ranked at seventh position globally on Alexa as of June 2013. It has, estimated, 365 million readers worldwide. Though numbers are impressive enough to boggle one’s mind, what truly electrifies the spinal cord is the way Wikipedia functions. Anyone from any corner of the world (Now, you can ask if earth is round or square? Go to Wikipedia, you will get interlinked references from Heliocentricism to Geocentrism, from Copernicus to Galileo, from Copernican Revolution to Renaissance, and thus traverse the complete circle of knowledge!) can write an article. Then some other volunteers keep the wheel rolling by editing and validating the existing article and by adding required citation, views and counterviews. This invisible chain-reaction keeps flourishing Wikipedia just like an unnoticed food chain of natural ecosystem.

On Saturday, 13th July 2013, workshop on Wikipedia was organized by volunteers of Wikimedia Foundation, in association with SCM, Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai. The workshop was conducted by Bishakha Datta and Rohini Lakshane from Wikimedia Foundation, Mumbai. After giving the brief on history of Wikipedia, how Wikipedia functions and how one can become a part of this knowledge thriving community, instructors and volunteers facilitated SCM students to create articles on Wikipedia. SCM students successfully created two articles on Dina Vakil, the first woman resident editor of The Times of India's Bombay edition and Ritu Menon, the co-founder, writer and publisher of India's first feminist publishing house, Kali for Women. The workshop truly helped students to realize that how the power of technology, information and collaborative effort can drive people towards the informed and knowledge-intensive society.

After attending the workshop I couldn’t stop myself and posted the following note dedicated to my all friends:

·         Do you think 30 million articles in 286 languages is too loud a figure? If you are sceptical, then that’s great. Go and investigate further. Provide the correct figure (if the given figure is erroneous) and yeah provide the reference/citation as well. 

Bingo! That’s how the whole Wikipedia has been erected, by sharing and contributing knowledge. Contribute about your locality, personalities, culture, tradition, etc.

·         Believe in good faith. Knowledge is a path not the signboard. Be in good faith, put information, views and counter-views with reference, and don’t be judgmental. Neutrality is the nature of Wikipedia.

·         Acknowledge the effort. Not only when you write a research paper or contribute to Wikipedia, but also when you receive help, love and care of someone, do acknowledge. Democracy cannot exist without thankfulness and compassion. Wikipedia is truly democratic way of knowledge transfer - for the people, of the people, by the people.

-       Parth Vyas (22^nd July 2013, Mumbai)