Centre for Internet and Society

ଅନ୍‌ଲାଇନରେ ପଢ଼ିହେବ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ପ୍ରସାଦ ଦାସଙ୍କ ୩୦ଟି ବହି

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:03:34Z

Noted Odia-language author and art historian Dr Jagannath Prasad Das has donated 30 volumes of his books under CC-by-SA 4.0 so that the books could now be digitised in Odia Wikisource.

Earlier Bhubaneswar based non-profit Srujanika had donated over 700 books. Two hundred and nineteen books including entire Odia Bhagabata and many other classics have already been digitised on Odia Wikisource. The collection is growing slowly with more books being digitised by volunteer Wikisourcers.

Read the original published by Sambad epaper on November 19, 2015.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/dr-jagannath-prasad-das-donates-30-volumes-of-his-books-under-cc-by-sa-4.0

ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱରରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାରର ପ୍ରଥମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ପାଳନ

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:08:56Z

News about the Odia Wikisource's 1st anniversary, published in Odia-language web portal Odia Pua on October 25, 2015.

ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର 25-10 (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପୁଅ) ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ https://or.wikisource.org ଠାରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ଏକ ଖୋଲା ଅନଲାଇନ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପାଠାଗାର। ଏହା ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାସେବୀମାନଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ପରିଚାଳିତ ଓ ଏଥିରେ ଅନେକ ଉପାଦେୟ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବହି ବିଶେଷ କରି କପିରାଇଟ ସରିଯାଇଥିବା ବହିସବୁ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ପଢ଼ିବା ପାଇଁ ମିଳିଥାଏ। ଗତ ବର୍ଷ ଅକ୍ଟୋବର ୨୦ ତାରିଖରେ ଜନ୍ମ ନେଇଥିବା ଏହି ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପକୁ ଏହି ମାତ୍ର ବର୍ଷେ ପୂରିବା ଭିତରେ ୨୧୯ ଖଣ୍ଡ ବହି ଏଥିରେ ଡିଜିଟାଲ ରୂପ ନେଇସାରିଲାଣି। ଆସନ୍ତା କାଲି (୨୫ ତାରିଖ) ୫ ଘଟିକା ସମୟରେ ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର ସ୍ଥିତ ଇନଷ୍ଟିଚ୍ୟୁଟ ଅନ ମ୍ୟାନେଜମେଣ୍ଟ ଅଫ ଆଗ୍ରିକଲଚରାଲ ଏକ୍ସଟେନସନ (ଇମେଜ) ଠାରେ ଏହାର ପ୍ରଥମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ପାଳିତ ହେବାକୁ ଯାଉଛି। ଏହି ଅବସରରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିମିଡ଼ିଆ ସଂଘ ତରଫରୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷା ଓ ପାଠାଗାର ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନରେ ଆଗ୍ରହୀ ସଭିଙ୍କୁ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପର ପରିଚାଳକ ମୃତ୍ୟୁଞ୍ଜୟ କର ଆମନ୍ତ୍ରଣ କରିଛନ୍ତି। ଏଥିରେ ସେ ଓ ସହକର୍ମୀ ଶୁଭାଶିଷ ପାଣିଗ୍ରାହୀ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ସମ୍ବନ୍ଧରେ ଏକ ସବିଶେଷ ବିବରଣି ପ୍ରଦାନ କରିବେ। ୧୮୫୦ରୁ ୧୯୫୦ ଭିତରେ ଛପା ସମସ୍ତ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପତ୍ରପତ୍ରିକା ସମେତ ପାଖାପାଖି ଦେଢ଼ଲକ୍ଷ ବହି ଡିଜିଟାଇଜ କରିଥିବା ବିଜ୍ଞାନ ଓ ଗବେଷଣା ଅନୁଷ୍ଠାନ "ସୃଜନିକା" ତରଫରୁ ଡ ପୁଷ୍ପଶ୍ରୀ ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକ ଏଥିରେ ସୃଜନିକାର ଲମ୍ବା ଯାତ୍ରା ବାବଦରେ ଏକ ଅଭିଭାଷଣ ରଖିବେ। ଏହା ପରେ ପ୍ରଫେସର ଯତୀନ ନାୟକଙ୍କ ଅଧ୍ୟକ୍ଷତାରେ "ଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ଡିଜିଟାଲ ପାଠାଗାର ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ" ବାବଦରେ ହେବାକୁ ଥିବା ଏକ ଆଲୋଚନାଚକ୍ରରେ ସମଦୃଷ୍ଟି ଅନୁଷ୍ଠାନ ତରଫରୁ ସୁଧିର ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକ ଓ ଶିକ୍ଷାସନ୍ଧାନ ତରଫରୁ ଅନୀଲ ପ୍ରଧାନ ଯୋଗଦେବେ। ଉଇକିମିଡ଼ିଆ ଫାଉଣ୍ଡେସନର ଅନେକ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ ମଧ୍ୟରୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ଏକ ଓ ଏହା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆର ଏକ ସହଯୋଗୀ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ। ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷା, ସାହିତ୍ୟ ଓ ପାଠାଗାର ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନରେ ଏହା ଏକ ସକ୍ରିୟ ଭୂମିକା ନିର୍ବାହ କରିବାକୁ ଯାଉଛି। "ଅନେକ ରଚନା ତାଳପତ୍ରରେ ଓ ପୁସ୍ତକ ଆକାରରେ ଲିପିବଦ୍ଧ ହୋଇଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଧୀରେ ଧୀରେ କାଳ ଗର୍ଭରେ ସେଗୁଡ଼ିକ ଲୋପ ପାଇଯାଉଛନ୍ତି। ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଆମ ଭାଷାର ମୁଲ୍ୟଭାନ ଅନେକ ରଚନା ଡିଜିଟାଇଜ କରି ଦୀର୍ଘକାଳ ନିମନ୍ତେ ରକ୍ଷା କରିବା ଓ ସାଇତି ରଖିବା ଆମର ପ୍ରଚେଷ୍ଟା", କହନ୍ତି ଜଣେ ସକ୍ରିୟ ଉଇକିଆଳି ଡ ସୁବାସଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ରାଉତ। ଇଂରାଜୀରେ ଏହା ଉଇକିସୋର୍ସ ନାମରେ ଜଣା ଓ ୨୦୦୫ରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ମାତ୍ର ଏକ ବର୍ଷ ହେଲା ଏହି ଦିଗରେ ସଶ୍ରମ ପ୍ରଚେଷ୍ଟା ଜାରି ରଖିଛି। ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାସେବୀମାନଙ୍କ ଅକୁଣ୍ଠ ଶ୍ରମ ପ୍ରଦାନ ଫଳରେ ସ୍ଵତ୍ତ୍ଵାଧିକାର ବାଧା ନ ଥିବା ଅନେକ ପୁସ୍ତକ ଡିଜିଟାଇଜ ହୋଇ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ପୃଷ୍ଠା ମଣ୍ଡନ କରୁଛନ୍ତି।

Read the original here.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/b2db41b2cb28b47b36b4db71b30b30b47-b13b21b3cb3fb06-b09b07b15b3fb2ab3eb20b3eb17b3eb30b30-b2ab4db30b25b2e-b1cb28b4db2eb24b3fb25b3f-b2ab3eb33b28

Odia Wikisource to Hold 1st Anniversary

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:09:54Z

Odia Wikisource, a sister project of Odia Wikipedia and a free online Odia-language library will celebrate its first anniversary at the Indian Institute of Management of Agricultural Extension (IMAGE), Siripur here on Monday.

Available online at or.wikisource.org, it not just provides readers to free and open access to text that are out of copyright or available under free license, but also allows them to contribute in either digitizing copyright-free text or correcting mistakes made by others.

"Last year the Wikimedia community in Odisha did a remarkable job in bringing as many as 141 books by multiple authors relicensed under free licenses like CC-BY/CC-SA", said Centre for Internet and Society's Programme Officer Subhashish Panigrahi.

Odia Wikisource administrator Mrutyunjaya Kar has invited everyone to join the event.

This was published by Pioneer on October 26, 2015.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/pioneer-october-26-2015-odia-wikisource-to-hold-1st-anniversary

Odia Wikisource Celebrates 1st Anniversary this 25th October

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:10:22Z

ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ୧ମ ଜନ୍ମତିିଥି (Odia Wikisource’s 1st anniversary):

ଆଗାମୀ ୨୫ ତାରିଖ ଦିନ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପାଠାଗାର “ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର”କୁ ବର୍ଷେ ପୂରିବାକୁ ଯାଉଛି । ଏଥି ନିମନ୍ତେ ଆମେ ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱରରେ ପାଳୁଛୁ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାରର ପ୍ରଥମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି । ଆଉ ଏ ଉତ୍ସବରେ ଯୋଗଦେବା ଲାଗି ଆପଣଙ୍କୁ ରହିଲା ବିନୀତ ମାଗୁଣି, ଆସିବେ ନିଶ୍ଚେ । ଅଧିକ କିଛି ଜାଣିବାକୁ ଚାହିଁଲେ ଆମ ସହ odiawiki@gmail ରେ ମେଲ ଯୋଗେ ଯୋଗାଯୋଗ କରିପାରିବେ । ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ!

This was published by Bhubaneswar (Buzz) on October 24, 2015.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/bhubaneswarbuzz-odia-wikisource-celebrates-1st-anniversary-this-25th-october

JP Das's Books to be Made Available Free on Wikipedia

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:18:51Z

Noted Odia-language author and art historian Jagannath Prasad Das's works will be available on Wikipedia for free.

A scanned version of the article published on October 16, 2015 is below:

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/jp-dass-books-to-be-made-available-free-on-wikipedia

WikipediansSpeak: Telugu Language Library Catalog Project Helps Wikipedia Grow

subha — 2015-12-15T08:06:52Z

In 2013, the interview project “WikipediansSpeak” was launched in response to observations that many noteworthy Wikimedians were being underrepresented both locally and globally. Not just them personally—their work, and the communities they represent, were also unknown to the Wikimedia community and the outside world.

This was published on Wikimedia blog in two languages English and Ukranian.

Wikimedia Foundation’s fundraising campaigns were the biggest inspiration for the project. From video-only interviews, this is an attempt at different ways of interviews, and is the first interview showcasing a Telugu Wikimedian: Viswanadh B.K., who was an Individual Engagement (IEG) Grantee last year and has continued to be active in outreach.

Recently, you attended a Telugu Wikipedia workshop for the Botany-major undergraduate students at Andhra Loyola College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Would you like to talk a little bit about your participation, how the program was designed, the activities there and the output? How are you planning to mentor the students in the future?

The staff and students are quite enthusiastic, and the students are dedicating considerable time to learning, and reflecting their learning, while editing the Telugu Wikipedia. However, they need more training on basics of Wikipedia, as well as on policies and guidelines. Without that, they might end up creating low quality articles that the community will face problems cleaning up. Centre for Internet and Society’s Access To Knowledge program (CIS-A2K), that has been organizing these sessions in the college, should seek out more support from the Telugu Wikimedia community so that the experienced editors could mentor these students. I feel it would be a good idea to award the students and faculty with certificates. These small little things often motivate many.

What part should the community and CIS-A2K be playing in the Wikimedia movement? What could and should we do for the Telugu community?

Many in our community do not know how programs like CIS-A2K work. Maybe there is a need to provide some kind of orientation for them which will help them to understand how they could approach CIS asking for support. This process could also help the community understand CIS’s activities and its programmatic implementation. More collaboration, and understanding of the program among the community, will improve involvement in CIS’s activities as well as CIS’s understanding of the community.

You were the second Telugu Wikipedian to be awarded with an Individual Engagement Grant (IEG). How did it go, and what did you achieve? Based on your own experience, how are you planning to groom this year’s applicants from Telugu and other Indian language Wikimedia communities?

This IEG was my dream come true! Back in 2009, I blogged about the potential of opening up library catalogs on the Internet for people to search for books. It took shape with my grant project: “Digitization of Important Libraries Book Catalog in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana”. I worked on an extensive project, digitizing the catalogs of five libraries—a total of 300,000 books—in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. I learned a lot, and documented part of my learning, which talks about the ways one should go about partnering with Indian institutions. I believe, my interaction with fellow Wikimedians must have helped them to better their grants applications this year. And I am hoping that I will continue to support more friend from my community and country in the future.

What drove you, over the years, to work on a project like this digitizing library catalogs? Were there any additional learning and benefits from this project?

In this digital age, people searching for books on the Internet might have developed the notion that if a book is not available online, it doesn’t exist. I have been experiencing this very issue while looking for evidence notability and citations on the Telugu Wikipedia. Many Wikipedia editors argue for citing at least the name of the book when the book is not available online. This pushed me to create a central catalog that will benefit Wikipedians, researchers, and readers. In the process of creating the catalog, I also managed to develop strong relations with several cultural organizations. These include Kathanilayam, a dedicated organization collecting every Telugu story; the Annamayya Library, which developed into a great cultural center in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh; and the Suryaraya Vidyananda Library, whose collection is enriched with rare manuscripts and important books. I touch based with them then, and they are slowly becoming household names for other Wikimedians for their library-related needs. We can see the potential of strong partnerships and synergy with these libraries.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/wikimedia-blog-october-9-2015-subhashish-panigrahi-telugu-library-catalog-project-wikipedians-speak

Unable to read Odia on your android device? Don’t fret!

praskrishna — 2015-12-15T08:04:39Z

If you get only boxes in place of Odia fonts in your Android device then it does not support the language. So you need to install Odia font in your smart phone; one way is to root it, but it’s not without cons.

The article by Ruby Nanda was published in Odisha Sun Times on September 28, 2015. Subhashish Panigrahi was quoted.

Rooting means breaking and getting full rights into the entire operating system of your Android. If done right it can turn you into a super user and open a wealth of opportunities with your handheld device. But, rooting is a complex process and definitely not for a newbie, as rooting leads to loss of warranty, security issues and a wrong move can turn it into a paperweight.

“Rooting is not advisable as it is bit complicated and turns your phone warranty void”, says Subhashish Panigrahi, Programme Officer at the Centre for Internet and Society, an NGO. By far the easiest way to read Odia is by installing Firefox Browser for your android mobile, he added.

Nihar Kumar Dalai, IT professional, has found an easy hack and with Panigrahi, he has designed a free licensed tutorial by which one can easily read Odia language in their smart phones.

“Odia fonts are supported only in the latest android 5.1.1 update, but people using android devices with older version may not have Odia fonts and can see only the boxes. We see many people seeking help to resolve this problem on Twitter and Facebook. With missing Odia fonts, people may end up writing Odia in Roman script, said Dalai.

“There has been very positive response from people who have tried this method. I’m happy to play a very small part for this cause, the IT professional added.

So if you are unable to read or write Odia in your android handheld then no sweat, just try out these simple steps and enjoy the fun of reading and writing Odia in your mobile.

Install Mozilla Firefox browser for Android on your phone from Google Play.
Launch Firefox and go to the Oriya fonts package Add-Ons page and select “Add to Firefox”
Click on Install
Eureka! Now Odia fonts appear on your android device instead of unrecognizable boxes.

Click here to watch the tutorial:

https://or.wikipedia.org/s/ucf

Once you’re able to read and write Odia, you can use any online Odia transliteration service e.g. TypeOdia (on Firefox browser), iBUS on Linux, Microsoft’s Indic language Input Tool, Google Input Tool.

P.S: This method only works on Firefox Browser for Android and not on any other Apps. Android jellybean 4.3 version also supports Odia but there might be issues which are fixed by 5.1.1.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/odisha-sun-times-september-28-2015-ruby-nanda-unable-to-read-odia-on-your-android-device

As Odia Wikipedia turns 13, what happens next?

Subhashish Panigrahi and Sailesh Patnaik — 2016-06-18T17:08:41Z

Odia Wikipedia, one of several Indian-language Wikipedia projects, celebrated thirteen years of free knowledge contribution on June 3.

This was originally published on the Wikimedia Blog on August 21. The post was shared on Wikipedia's official Facebook page, and on Twitter handles [1 and 2]

Launched in 2002—just a year after the English Wikipedia was launched—Odia Wikipedia has grown to be the largest content repository in the Odia language available in Unicode on the Internet. With over 8,900 articles and about 17 active editors (also known as “uikiali”) spread across various parts of India and abroad, the project has become more than just an encyclopedia. The voluntary editor community has put its efforts into acquiring valuable content, re-licensing them under Creative Commons (CC) licenses, and building tools for acquiring more encyclopedic content from various sources.

The community has also engaged over 2,500 people through various outreach programs, such as the Wikipedia Education Program. For its thirteenth anniversary, the community released a character-encoding converter that promises to unlock massive amounts of content—from government portals to journals, newspapers and magazines that have their content in various legacy encoding systems other than Unicode. This has been a major roadblock in the search for and reuse of digital content in the Odia language. During our thirteenth anniversary celebrations, the community spent a day assessing community needs, addressing issues, and identifying priority areas to focus on in the future. This was arguably the first time almost the entire community gathered in a physical space. This allowed Odia Wikipedia administrator, and the most active Odia Wikimedian, Mrutyunjaya Kar and I to design a needs assessment survey. Participating Wikimedians were asked to brainstorm various problems they face in two major areas: editing and outreach.

The community has also engaged over 2,500 people through various outreach programs, such as the Wikipedia Education Program. For its thirteenth anniversary, the community released a character-encoding converter that promises to unlock massive amounts of content—from government portals to journals, newspapers and magazines that have their content in various legacy encoding systems other than Unicode. This has been a major roadblock in the search for and reuse of digital content in the Odia language.

During our thirteenth anniversary celebrations, the community spent a day assessing community needs, addressing issues, and identifying priority areas to focus on in the future. This was arguably the first time almost the entire community gathered in a physical space. This allowed Odia Wikipedia administrator, and the most active Odia Wikimedian, Mrutyunjaya Kar and I to design a needs assessment survey. Participating Wikimedians were asked to brainstorm various problems they face in two major areas: editing and outreach.

	Two-fifths of participants said that problems with the rendering of Odia characters in different operating systems, ignorance or lack of more documentation about enabling encoding for Odia, input methods and keyboard layouts, and other font- and keyboard-related issues as the major reason for low readership and contribution on Wikipedia. More than a third instead blamed the lack of good quality content on Wikipedia and the Internet as a whole in the Odia language, in English related to Odia language, and in Odisha on the Internet. A quarter blamed other technical issues, including the lack of mobile input in Odia, for low editorship, while low interest for contributing in Odia language by native language speakers was blamed by eight percent of survey participants.

Two-fifths of participants said that problems with the rendering of Odia characters in different operating systems, ignorance or lack of more documentation about enabling encoding for Odia, input methods and keyboard layouts, and other font- and keyboard-related issues as the major reason for low readership and contribution on Wikipedia.

More than a third instead blamed the lack of good quality content on Wikipedia and the Internet as a whole in the Odia language, in English related to Odia language, and in Odisha on the Internet. A quarter blamed other technical issues, including the lack of mobile input in Odia, for low editorship, while low interest for contributing in Odia language by native language speakers was blamed by eight percent of survey participants.

Aditya Mahar, the second-most active editor on the Odia Wikipedia, feels that the biggest setback for the Odia Wikipedia is a lack of interest in contributing in Odia language. He says many Odia speakers feel that Odia is not needed to acquire and share knowledge.

“Like many others, I have been very eager to learn and share more about my home state and culture,” he says. “That’s why I started to contribute to the Odia Wikipedia, to tell my people about our rich cultural heritage in my language.”

He adds that he is concerned by the way many have been alienating Odia with the excuse of learning English to connect to the rest of the world. “I want my future generation to find everything they want to learn in Odia—from the history of Odisha, our art, architecture, Odia language and people, and our cultural extravaganza,” he says.

Mrutyunjaya Kar, an administrator on the Odia Wikipedia and the most active contributor, feels that Wikipedia is like a marathon and there is a great need for fresh blood in the community. Asked if the community will ever die out, Mrutyunjaya feels that even with a small community, the Odia Wikipedia community is always going to thrive, even if, in the worst case, only one active Wikipedian remains. So, we badly need new users to pass the baton. For him, community support and bonding with the fellow editors is the most important thing to lead a community.

Mrutyunjaya adds that creating many short articles, known as “stubs”, is a necessary evil and essential for a project like the Odia Wikipedia, as they are drafted as a by-product of collaborative editing.

“It takes little longer for a small community like Odia to expand and enhance quality of stubs though,” he says. “Many-a-times, new editors learn about Wikipedia editing while creating stubs. However, all the active Wikipedians agreed during the thirteenth anniversary not to create or promote many stubs.”

Sailesh Patnaik, Odia Wikimedian
Subhashish Panigrahi, Odia Wikimedian and Programme Officer, Access To Knowledge (CIS-A2K)

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/wikimedia-foundation-blog-as-odia-wikipedia-turns-13-what-happens-next

Odia Wikipedia meets Google Developer Group

Sailesh Patnaik — 2015-07-16T13:17:07Z

This is a guest post by Wikimedian Sailesh Patnaik who has been a ardent contributor in Odia-language Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects and has led outreach and partnership building initiatives to grow the Wikimedia projects in Odia and other Indian languages. In this post Sailesh shares his personal experience from his interaction at the Google Extended I/O organised by Google Developer Group in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. All the views are author’s personal views.

On this June 14 Google Developer Group Bhubaneswar organised an extended I/O at Bhubaneswar. To my surprise I found that there were more than 60 participants attending the conference. Basanta Kumar Maharana. TELL WHO HE IS, was the speaker in the event. Basanta shared his memories from Google I/O 2015, San Francisco and demonstrated about the new launch and updates of Google. It was quite interesting for me to learn about various Google apps (?) kike Google cardboard, Android M, etc.

In an informal interaction with the host Sanjib Parida, he proposed me to speak about Odia Wikipedia there who came to know about the project while attending Odia Wikipedia's 13th anniversary.

I started my talk by asking four questions to the audience:

How many of the audience know about Wikipedia? (Everyone raised hands.)
Who have copied content from Wikipedia for assignments? (People giggled about it, 50-60% of the participants nodded saying yes!)
Who knows that anyone can “edit” Wikipedia? (the count reduced to about 10-20%)
Who knows about Odia Wikipedia and contributes in creating and editing articles? (Only 4-5 people said yes, I found 2-3 of them being contributors to Odia Wikipedia)

I started my talk with a brief introduction to the history of Odia Wikipedia and how it was started in 2002 as one of the first four Indic language Wikipedia projects along with Assamese, Malayalam and Punjabi.

Odia Wikipedia was in dormant for the next eight years which was intervened when Wikimedians like Subhashish Panigrahi, Ashutosh Kar, Anshuman Giri, Mrutyunjaya Kar and others started building a community to improve and increase the content of Odia Wikipedia. Now we have grown as a community consisting about 17 active editors and the project has more than 8800 articles. The monthly page view of Odia Wikipedia has grown to more than 800,000 from merely 200,000 in 2011. We have three active Odia-language Wikimedia projects; Odia Wikipedia, the largest Odia online encyclopedia, online library Odia Wikisource, and multilingual online dictionary Odia Wiktionary. Odia Wikipedia community has not limited their work only in editing articles, rather has expanded into many other aspects of Odia computing. On the day of Odia Wikipedia’s 13th anniversary it has launched a converter that can convert many non-Unicode encodings into Unicode. We have been supported by CIS-A2K for many activities to grow our community and the Odia Wikimedia projects. Like Odia Wikipedia we have 20 more Wikipedia projects in other Indic languages and in over 288 languages globally. Hindi Wikipedia among all the Indic Wikipedia projects has the highest number of articles whereas Malayalam Wikipedia has the highest number of quality articles.


Pictured above: Participants at the conference organized by the Google Developer Group at Bhubaneswar

Some of the state governments have been quite open and positive in bringing Wikipedia into academics. The Government of Kerala has introduced Wikipedia contribution in its curriculum for BA and MA students and The Government of Tamilnadu has introduced Tamil Wikipedia to participants at the International Tamil Conference which helped the Tamil Wikimedia community in expanding the community. Awareness and community building are two major challenges for us at this moment. I invited the participants there to take part in the Wikimedia movement.

I touched upon the Odia input for the audience. While it was quite difficult a few years back for Odia input it is no longer a challenge. With the help of the Android app “Indic Keyboard” we can also edit Odia Wikipedia from mobile phones. I myself have used it for editing Wikipedia, for tweeting and posting Facebook status in Odia. After the talk I was asked a few questions. There are two important ones I would like to share here. To the question “how can I contribute in Odia Wikipedia? Do I have to install any keyboard for it?” I elaborated how anyone can edit and expand articles or create new Wikipedia articles in Odia just by creating a new account and logging in to https://or.wikipedia.org, and how the Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia have an input tool called Universal Language Selector (ULS) enabled in them and one does not need to install any additional input method. I was asked by one from the here is no support from the government at this moment but we are constant effort to collaborate audience about the Government of Odisha helping to grow Odia Wikipedia.

Many participants came and personally greeted me after the event was over. I was really excited to share the news about our (Odia Wikimedia community's plans for creating Bhubaneswar Wiki Group/WikiTungi with two active communities in engineering colleges like CET and KIIT. It was a wonderful experience at Google I/O and I hope to grow our Wikimedia community by collaborating with more like minded communities.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/odia-wikipedia-meets-google-developer-group

ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱରରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆର ୧୩ ତମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ପାଳନ, ୨୦୧୫ ଜୁନ ୩ ତାରିଖ

praskrishna — 2016-06-18T18:17:34Z

ତାରିଖ ଏବଂ ସମୟ: ୨୦୧୫ ଜୁନ ୩ ତାରିଖ, ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟା ୫ ଟା ସ୍ଥାନ: ପଦାର୍ଥ ବିଜ୍ଞାନ ପ୍ରତିଷ୍ଠାନ, ସଚିବାଳୟ ମାର୍ଗ, ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର, ଓଡ଼ିଶା କାର୍ଯ୍ୟକ୍ରମ ସବିଶେଷ: https://or.wikipedia.org/s/sml

The article was published in Odishan.com on June 2, 2015.

ପ୍ରଥମ ଭାରତୀୟ କେତୋଟି ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ (Wikipedia) ମଧ୍ୟରୁ ଅନ୍ୟତମ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ଏହି ମାସ ୩ ତାରିଖରେ ତାହାର ୧୩ ବର୍ଷ ବ୍ୟାପୀ ମୁକ୍ତ ଜ୍ଞାନ ବିତରଣର ମହୋତ୍ସବ ପାଳୁଛି । ଇଂରାଜୀ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହେବାର ବର୍ଷେ ପରେ ୨୦୦୨ ମସିହାରେ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଲା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ । ଇଉନିକୋଡ଼ରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ଏ ଭିତରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାର ବିଶାଳତମ ଅନଲାଇନ ଜ୍ଞାନକୋଷ (ଏନସାଇକ୍ଲୋପିଡ଼ିଆ)ରେ ପରିଣତ ହୋଇଛି । ଭାରତର ବିଭିନ୍ନ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ରହୁଥିବା ପାଖାପାଖି ୧୭ ଜଣ ସକ୍ରିୟ ସମ୍ପାଦକ (“ଉଇକିଆଳି” ନାମରେ ପରିଚିତ)ଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ସମ୍ପାଦିତ ଓ ୮,୮୦୦ରୁ ଅଧିକ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗରେ ଭରା ଏହି ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପଟି ଏକ ଜ୍ଞାନକୋଷରୁ ଅନେକ ଉପରେ । ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାରେ ସମ୍ପାଦନ କରୁଥିବା ସମ୍ପାଦକମାନଙ୍କ ଉଦ୍ୟମ ହେତୁ କପିରାଇଟ ଥିବା ଅନେକ ବହିର ଲାଇସେନ୍ସ କ୍ରିଏଟିଭ କମନ୍ସ ଭଳି ମୁକ୍ତ ଲାଇସେନ୍ସରେ ରୂପାନ୍ତରତିକ କରାଯାଇ ସେସବୁକୁ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ଜରିଆରେ ଅଧିକ ପାଠକଙ୍କ ନିକଟରେ ପହଞ୍ଚାଇବାର ବାଟ ତିଆରି ହୋଇଛି । ଏହା ଛଡ଼ା ଲେଖକ ଓ ସତ୍ୱାଧୀକାରୀ (କପିରାଇଟ ମାଲିକ)ଙ୍କ ସହ ସନ୍ଧି କରି ଅନେକ ଉପାଦେୟ ରଚନା ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ କରାଯାଉଛି । or.wikipedia.org ରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆରେ ସଭିଙ୍କୁ ସମ୍ପାଦନା କରିବାର ସୁଯୋଗ ଦିଆଯାଇଥାଏ ଯାହା ଫଳରେ ଖବରକାଗଜ, ପତ୍ରିକାଆଦିରେ ଅନେକ ଉପାଦେୟ ବିଷୟରେ ପ୍ରକାଶିତ ଲେଖାମାନଙ୍କ ଆଧାରରେ ନୂଆ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗ ତିଆରି ଓ ପୁରୁଣା ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗର ଉନ୍ନତୀକରଣ କରାଯାଇପାରିବ ।

ଉଇକିଆଳିମାନେ ଜଗତରେ ଜଣାଶୁଣା ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ଏଜୁକେସନ ପ୍ରୋଗ୍ରାମ ଭଳି ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଶିକ୍ଷଣ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟକ୍ରମ ହାତକୁ ନେଇ ପାଖାପାଖି ୨,୦୦୦ରୁ ଅଧିକ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆରେ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ବିଷୟରେ ଲେଖିବା ବାବଦରେ ଶିଖାଇଛନ୍ତି । ଏହାର ୧୩ ତମ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ପାଳନ ନିମନ୍ତେ ଉଇକିଆଳି ସମୂହ ଏକ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ସରକାରୀ ଜର୍ଣ୍ଣାଲ, ଖବରକାଗଜ, ପତ୍ରିକା ଆଦିରେ ଥିବା ଅଣ-ଇଉନିକୋଡ଼ ଲେଖାରୁ ଇଉନିକୋଡ଼ରେ ରୂପାନ୍ତର କରିବା ପାଇଁ କ୍ୟାରେକ୍ଟର ଏନକୋଡିଙ୍ଗ କନଭର୍ଟର ବିତରଣ କରିବା ଯୋଜନା କରୁଛି । ଏହା ଫଳରେ ସର୍ଚ ଇଞ୍ଜିନରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ହୋଇନପାରୁଥିବା ଅନେକ ଉପାଦେୟ ଲେଖା ଡିଜିଟାଲ କଣ୍ଟେଣ୍ଟ ଭାବେ ଇଉନିକୋଡ଼ରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ହୋଇ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ପାଠକମାନଙ୍କ ପଠନଯୋଗୀ ହୋଇପାରିବ ।

ଯୋଗାଯୋଗ:
odiawiki@gmail.com
ମୃତ୍ୟୁଞ୍ଜୟ କର, ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ପରିଚାଳକ (ଫୋନ: 9437112371)
ଶୈଳେଶ ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକ, ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିଆଳି (ଫୋନ: 7537097770)
ସୁଭାସିସ ପାଣିଗ୍ରାହୀ, ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ପରିଚାଳକ ଓ ପ୍ରୋଗ୍ରାମ ଅଫିସର, ଆକସେସ ଟୁ ନଲେଜ-ସେଣ୍ଟର ଫର ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ଏଣ୍ଡ ସୋସାଇଟି (08050515339)
subhashish@cis-india.org

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/b2db41b2cb28b47b36b4db71b30b30b47-b13b21b3cb3fb06-b09b07b15b3fb2ab3fb21b3cb3fb06b30-b67b69-b24b2e-b1cb28b4db2eb24b3fb25b3f-b2ab3eb33b28-b68b66b67b6b-b1cb41b28-b69-b24b3eb30b3fb16

Odia Wikipedia celebrates 13 years of free knowledge contribution at Bhubaneswar

praskrishna — 2016-06-18T18:18:05Z

Odia Wikipedia, one of the first of several Indian language Wikipedia projects is ready to celebrate 13 glorious years of free knowledge contribution on June 3.

This was published in Orissadiary.com on June 2, 2015. Also see http://odishan.com/14971 (In Odia)

Beginning in 2002 — a year after the world's largest online encyclopedia, the English Wikipedia, was launched — Odia Wikipedia has grown to be the largest content repository in the Odia language available in Unicode on the Internet at https://or.wikipedia.org.

With about 17 active editors (also known as “uikiali”) spread across various parts of India and abroad, and over 8,800 articles, the project has become more than just an encyclopedia. The voluntary editor community has put its efforts into acquiring valuable Creative Commons (CC) licensed content by lobbying copyright holders/authors to relicense copyrighted content under CC licenses.

Date and time: 3 June 2015, 5 pm
Venue: Institute of Physics, Near Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Event details: https://or.wikipedia.org/s/sml

It has also engaged with over 2,000 people by organizing various outreach programs including the globally accredited pedagogic program the Wikipedia Education Program (WEP). For its 13th anniversary the community is planning to release a character-encoding converter that promises to unlock massive amounts of content from government portals as well as journals, newspapers and magazines that have their content in non-Unicode character encoding that prevents user searching and reuse of digital-based content.

May you have any further questions about the project or the event, please reach us in the contact details mentioned below:

Mrutyunjaya Kar, Administrator, Odia Wikipedia (9437112371)
Sailesh Patnaik, Editor, Odia Wikipedia (7537097770)
Subhashish Panigrahi, Programme Officer, Access To Knowledge (CIS-A2K)
subhashish@cis-india.org. 08050515339

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/orissa-dairy-june-2-2015-odia-wikipedia-celebrates-13-years-of-free-knowledge-contribution-at-bhubaneswar

Odia Wikipedia Celebrates 13 Years of Free Knowledge Contribution at Bhubaneswar

subha — 2016-06-18T18:21:13Z

The event was held at the Institute of Physics, Near Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha on June 3, 2015, at 5 p.m.

The article was published by FullOdisha.com on June 3, 2015.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/news/fullodisha-june-3-2015-odia-wikipedia-13-years-of-free-knowledge-contribution

Odia Wikipedia Turning 13 this June 3

subha — 2016-06-18T18:19:22Z

The Odia Wikipedia is turning 13 this June 3. To celebrate this long time of the editor community's tireless effort to make it to the largest Odia-language online encyclopedia an event is being organised in Odisha' capital Bhubaneswar. Centre for Internet and Society's Access To Knowledge (CIS-A2K) is proudly sponsoring for this event. Subhashish Panigrahi and Rahmanuddin Shaik are representing CIS at this event.

Over 20 Wikipedians from various corners of India are participating for a public gathering that is planned on June 3 at the Institute of Physics at 5 pm. A day-long internal meetup for the community in the presence of Wikimedia India and CIS-A2K has been planned that focuses on raising consensus for policy and guidelines for Odia Wikipedia, and planning for the activities ahead in the light of successes and learning from failures from the past.

Promotional Banner

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/events/odia-wikipedia-turning-thirteen

ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ: ନୂତନ ଯୁଗର ଆରମ୍ଭ

subha — 2016-06-18T18:19:41Z

My op-ed on Odia Wikipedia and its journey of 13 years was published in Odia daily "The Samaja".

୨୦୦୧ ମସିହା, ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ଜରିଆରେ ଭାଷା ସହ ଭାଷାକୁ, ଚଳଣି ସହ ଚଳଣିକୁ, ଲୋକଙ୍କସହ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ଯୋଡ଼ିବାର ପଥ ସଳଖ ହେଉଥାଏ । ତେବେ ଆଜିଭଳି ସେତେବେଳକୁ ଇଂରାଜୀ ଭାଷା ଓ ଆମେରିକାର ପତିଆରା ଜଗତରେ କାହିଁରେ କେତେ । ତେଣୁ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଆମେରିକା ଓ ଇଂରାଜୀ ଛାମୁଆ ଥାନଟିକି ମାଡ଼ି ବସିଥାନ୍ତି । ଏ ବେଳକୁ ଆମେରିକାର ଦୁଇ ଯୁବକ ଜିମି ଉଏଲସ ଆଉ ଲାରି ସାଙ୍ଗର ନୂଆ ଏକ କଳ୍ପନା ସହ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପଟିଏ ଆରମ୍ଭ କଲେ । କଳ୍ପନା ଥିଲା ଅଧିକରୁ ଅଧିକ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ଏକ ଏନସାଇକ୍ଲୋପିଡ଼ିଆ ସମ୍ପାଦନା କରିବାର ସୁଯୋଗ ଦେବା । ଏହି ମିଳିତ ସମ୍ପାଦନାରୁ ଯେଉଁ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପଟି ଜନ୍ମିଲା ସେ ହେଲା ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ । ସେତେବେଳକୁ ଏନ୍‍ସାଇକ୍ଲୋପିଡ଼ିଆ ବ୍ରିଟାନିକା ସବୁ ଲାଇବ୍ରେରି ଆଉ ଏପରିକି ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଗାଦି ମାଡ଼ିବସିଥାଏ, ତା'ପୁଣି ପୁରୁଖା ସମ୍ପାଦକମାନଙ୍କ ସମ୍ପାଦନା ଓ ସଂକଳନରେ ପୁଷ୍ଟ ହୋଇ । ତା' ଆଗରେ କିନ୍ତୁ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ସଦମ୍ଭେ ମୁଣ୍ଡ ଟେକିଲା, ଆଉ ୨୦୦୨ବେଳକୁ ଏହା ଜଗତର ବାକି ଭାଷାରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହେଲା । ଏ ଭାଷା ଭିତରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ, ପଞ୍ଜାବୀ, ମାଲାୟାଲାମ ଓ ଅହମିୟା ପ୍ରଥମ ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାଷାର ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଭାବେ ସାମିଲ ହେଲେ । ନୂଆ ଚାରୋଟି ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ ସିନା ଆରମ୍ଭ ହେଲା, ହେଲେ କେବଳ ମାଲାୟାଲାମକୁ ଛାଡ଼ି ବାକି ତିନିଟି ଭାଷାରେ ଅଧିକ ଲୋକ ଯୋଡ଼ିହେବା, ନୂଆ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ ଲିଖନ, ସମ୍ପାଦନ ଆଦି କାମ ଆଗେଇଲା ନାହିଁ । ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପାଇଁ ଏକ ବିଡ଼ମ୍ବନା ୨୦୧୧ ଯାଏ ଲାଗିରହିଲା । ତେବେ ୨୦୧୧ ବେଳକୁ ଜଣେ କେରଳୀ ଉଇକିଆଳି (ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ସମ୍ପାଦକ) ସିଜୁ ଆଲେକ୍ସଙ୍କ ଉତ୍ସାହରେ କିଛି ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବେଙ୍ଗାଲୁରୁଠାରେ ଏକାଠି ହେଲେ । ୮ ବର୍ଷ ଧରି ସ୍ଥାଣୁ ହୋଇ ପଡ଼ିଥିବା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଘରେ ପଢ଼ୁଆଁ ଥର କଲମ ବୁଲିଲା । ଧୀରେଧୀରେ ଅଧିକରୁ ଅଧିକ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଏଥିରେ ଯୋଡ଼ିହେଲେ, ଏ ସମସ୍ତ ଉଇକିଆଳି ନିଜ ଉତ୍ସାହରେ ଆଉ ବିନା ପାରିଶ୍ରମିକରେ ଲେଖିଚାଲିଲେ । ମାସକୁ ମାତ୍ର କେଇ ହଜାର ଲୋକ ଆଗରୁ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ପଢ଼ୁଥିଲେ । ଆଜି ସାଢ଼େ ଆଠ ଲକ୍ଷରୁ ଅଧିକ ଲୋକ ଏହାର ମାସିକ ପାଠକ । ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାରେ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଥିବା ବିଶାଳତମ ୱେବସାଇଟ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ମାଗଣାରେ or.wikipedia.org ରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ । ଆଉ ସବୁଠୁ ମଜାର କଥା ହେଉଛି ଏହା କେବେବି ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ନୁହେଁ । ଛପା ବନ୍ଧା ବହିରେ ଏମିତି ନୂଆନୂଆ ଘଟଣା ଛପା ହେବା ବେଳକୁ ବରଷେ ବିତିଯାଏ । ହେଲେ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆରେ ନିମିଷକେ କୌଣସି ବିଷୟ ଜାଣିଥିବା ଲୋକଟିଏ ନୂଆ ଖାତାଟିଏ ଖୋଲି ଏ ଘଟଣାକୁ ଲିପିବଦ୍ଧ କରିପାରେ ।

ତେବେ ସବୁ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ଲେଖିବାର ସୁଯୋଗ ଦେଲେ ଅନେକ ଅଦରକାରୀ ଲେଖାରେ ଯେ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଭରୁଥିବା ଏ ଆଶଙ୍କା ଅମୂଳକ ନୁହେଁ । ତେବେ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ କିଛି ନିୟମାବଳୀ ଭିତରେ କାମ କରେ । ସଭିଙ୍କୁ ଲେଖିବାର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ମିଳିଛି ସତ, କିନ୍ତୁ ଲେଖାଯାକ ଗପ କବିତା କିମ୍ବା ନିଜର ସ୍ତୁତି ନହେଇ କେବଳ ଜ୍ଞାନକୋଷଭିତ୍ତିକ, ଅର୍ଥାତ କୌଣସି ଜଣାଶୁଣା ସ୍ଥାନ, ଘଟଣା କିମ୍ବା ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିବିଶେଷଙ୍କ ଉପରେ ଲେଖାହୁଏ । ପ୍ରାସଙ୍ଗିକତା ନଥାଇ ଲେଖାଯାଉଥିବା ଅନେକ ଅମୂଳକ ଲେଖାକୁ ହଟାଇ ଦେବାରେ ପୁରୁଖା ପରିଚାଳକମାନେ ସଦା ଜାଗତିଆର । ତା'ଛଡ଼ା ଲେଖାରେ ଏକ ଜଣାଶୁଣା ଲେଖକଙ୍କ କିମ୍ବା ପ୍ରକାଶନର ବହି, ପତ୍ରତ୍ରିକା, ଖବରକାଗଜରେ ଆଗରୁ ପ୍ରକାଶିତ ବିଷୟର ଆଧାରରେ ସେ ବହି/ ଖବରକାଗଜର ନାମ ସହ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗମାନ ଲେଖାଯାଏ । ତେଣୁ ଆଗରୁ ପ୍ରକାଶିତ ହୋଇନଥିବା, ନିଜର ମୌଳିକ ରଚନା କିମ୍ବା ଗବେଷଣା ଉଇକିପିଡିଆରେ ସ୍ଥାନ ପାଏନାହିଁ । କୌଣସି ଏନସାଇକ୍ଲୋପିଡିଆକୁ ଟିକେ ଆଡ଼େଇ ଦେଖିବା ତା'ହେଲେ ଏକଥା ବୁଝାପଡ଼େ ଯେ କେବଳ ବିଷୟର ପୁଙ୍ଖାନୁପୁଙ୍ଖ ବଖାଣ ଛଡ଼ା କୌଣସି ସାହିତ୍ୟିକ କଳ୍ପନା କିମ୍ବା ବିଶେଷଣର ବିନ୍ୟାସ ସେଥିରେ ନଥାଏ । ଏ ନିୟମଟି ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଖୁବ୍‍ କଡ଼ାକଡ଼ି ମାନିଥାଏ । ତେବେ ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାସେବୀଙ୍କ ସମୟ ବି ସୀମିତ । ଆଉ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଭଳି ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପରେ ଉଇକିଆଳି ହାତଗଣତିକୁ ସକ୍ରିୟ ପରିଚାଳକ ମାତ୍ର ଜଣେ କି ଦୁଇ । ଏଣୁ ଆଖିରୁ ଗୋଟେ ଯୋଡ଼େ ଭୁଲ ବାଦପଡ଼ିବା ସ୍ୱାଭାବିକ । ଅଧିକ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ନିଜ ଉତ୍ସାହରେ ଏଥିରେ ଯୋଗଦିଅନ୍ତେ ଯଦି ତାଙ୍କ ସମାଗମରେ ଲେଖାସବୁ ଅଧିକଥର ସମ୍ପାଦିତ ହୁଅନ୍ତା । ଆଉ ସେ ମନ୍ଥନରୁ ଲେଖା ସରସ ଓ ଅଧିକ ତଥ୍ୟସମ୍ବଳିତ ହୁଅନ୍ତା । ତେବେ ଏ ଏକ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ । ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଭଳି ଏକ ବିଶ୍ୱସ୍ତରୀୟ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ ବାବଦରେ ସୁଦୂରରେ ରହିଥିବା ଓଡ଼ିଆଙ୍କୁ ଜଣାଇବାର ଉଦ୍ୟମ ଚିରନ୍ତନ । ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାଟିକୁ ଖାଲି ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରୀୟ ମାନ୍ୟତା ଦେଇ ସିଂହାସନରେ ବସାଇଦେଲେ ହେବନାହିଁ, ବ୍ୟାବହାରିକ ସ୍ତରରେ କିପରି ଏହା ଅଧିକ ଲୋକଙ୍କ ହାତପାହାନ୍ତାରେ ପହଞ୍ଚିବ ତା ପାଇଁ ବାଟ କଢ଼ାଇବାକୁ ହେବ । ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ଯୋଗେ ଆମ ଭାଷାରେ ଜାଣିବା ପାଇଁ ଲୋକେ କମ୍ପ୍ୟୁଟର-ମୋବାଇଲ ଆଦିର ବ୍ୟବହାର ନକଲେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷା ଯେ ଚିରକାଳ ସେ ଗାଦିରେ ଉଇଓଡ଼ଶଙ୍କ ଜୀବସାର ହୋଇ ରହିଯିବ ।

ଉଇକିପିଡିଆର ଇତିହାସ ଆମ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ଭାଷାକୋଷର ଆରମ୍ଭ ସହ ଅନେକାଂଶରେ ମିଶେ । ଭାଷାକୋଷର ସଂକଳକ ଗୋପାଳ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପ୍ରହରାଜ ଥିଲେ ଜଣେ ଓକିଲ । ହେଲେ ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ଅଞ୍ଚଳଅଞ୍ଚଳ ବୁଲି ଶବ୍ଦଖୋଜାର ସଉକ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଏତେ ଘାରିଥିଲା ଯେ ନିଜର ସାଥିମାନଙ୍କୁ ଏକାଠି କରି ଏ କାମଟି ଆରମ୍ଭ କରିଥିଲେ । ଦଳବଦ୍ଧ କାମ ସବୁ ପାଣ୍ଡୁଲିପିର ରୂପ ନେଲା । ପ୍ରହରାଜେ ପୁଣି ଖୋଜିବସିଲେ ତାକୁ ଛପାଇବା ପାଇଁ । ରାଜାଙ୍କ ପୃଷ୍ଠପୋଷକତାରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାର ବିଶାଳତମ ଲେକ୍ସିକନ ସେଠୁ ଜନମିଲା । କହିବା ବାହୁଲ୍ୟ ଯେ ନିଜେ ଗୋପାଳ ଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ପ୍ରହରାଜ କିମ୍ବା ତାଙ୍କ ସାଥି କେହି ଲେଖକ କିମ୍ବା ସମ୍ପାଦକ ନଥିଲେ । ହେଲେ ୩୦ ଶତକରେ ଛପା ଏ ସଂକଳନରୁ ଅଧିକ ବଡ଼ ଗ୍ରନ୍ଥ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଷାରେ ଆଜି ବି ତିଆରି ହୋଇପାରିନାହିଁ । ଇଚ୍ଛାଶକ୍ତି ଖୁବ୍‍ ଦମ୍ଭିଲା ହେଲେ ସାଧାରଣ ଲୋକ କି ଅସାଧାରଣ କାମ କରିପାରନ୍ତି ତାହା ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ ଓ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ଭାଷାକୋଷର ଦୃଷ୍ଟାନ୍ତରୁ ଅନେକ ଶିଖିବାକୁ ମିଳେ ।

ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆରେ ଏବେ ୮୭୦୦ରୁ ଅଧିକ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗର ସମ୍ଭାର ଆଉ ଏହା ନିତିନିୟମିତ ୧୫ରୁ ଅଧିକ ଉଇକିଆଳିଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ସମ୍ପାଦିତ । ଏହି ଜୁନ ୩ ତାରିଖରେ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପଟି ୧୩ ବର୍ଷର କିଶୋରରେ ପରିଣତ ହେଉଛି ।

ସେଣ୍ଟର ଫର ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ ଏଣ୍ଡ ସୋସାଇଟି, ବେଙ୍ଗାଲୁରୁ

psubhashish@gmail.com

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/the-samaja-op-ed-subhashish-panigrahi-odia-wikipedia-journey-13-years

Odia Language Wikipedia Page Grows to 800K Page Views A Month

subha — 2016-06-18T18:20:05Z

Odia Wikipedia is one of the first few Indian language Wikipedia projects celebrating such an old age. The Wikimedia community will gather in Odisha's capital of Bhubaneswar on June 3 to celebrate Odia Wikipedia's 13th anniversary.

Get more event details. Click to read the post originally published in Opensource.com on May 31.

The Odia language is spoken by more than 40 million people in the Indian state of Odisha (the 9th largest Indian state by area) and its neighboring states, as well as, the Odia diaspora living outside India. With over 5000 years of literary heritage, the Odia language has been recognized as one of the oldest South Asian languages and has been given the status of a "classical language" by the Indian government.

Odia Wikipedia was launched in 2002—a year after the world's largest online encyclopedia, the English Wikipedia—and has grown to be the largest online content repository for the Odia language in Unicode, and is also the largest online Odia encyclopedia. Odia Wikipedia has 17 active editors (known as uikiali) spread across various parts of India and abroad, and over 8,800 articles. The Odia Wikipedia community is driving progressive digital activities by converting content created with non-standard proprietary encoding systems into Unicode, optimizing the system for search engines, and relicensing copyrighted content into Creative Commons (CC) licenses.

Almost all the newspapers written in the Odia language are available in non-Unicode or other proprietary encoding systems, or as images, making it impossible to account for them in search. The same is the case for state government portals that lack Odia-language content or have content in legacy encoding systems. Today, character encoding converters are hosted on Odia Wikipedia so that the editors can convert other encoding to Unicode; making newspapers and magazines that were unaccessible because of inability to search non-Unicode content available.

Odia Wikipedia has been available in Unicode since 2002, but for nine years it was dormant. Content creation and editor activity began to pick up in 2011 and since has increased at a dramatic rate. Content now covers diverse topics, from medical science to Odia cuisine. Since, it has grown to over 808,834 page views as of March 2015.

Original photo by Subhashish Panigrahi. CC BY-SA 4.0

The Odia Wikimedia community has also organized Wikipedia workshops and Wikipedia Education Programs to relicense copyright encyclopedia content to CC licensed content by negotiating with authors and copyright holders, and by gathering resources from various sources that are were easily accessible.

Going forward we hope to make an impact on the areas slow to change, like the media for the Odia language who have resisted adopting Unicode.

The Odia Wikipedia community hopes to improve and increase the use of the Odia languague online so that users can read and communicate on the Internet in that language. An open and collaborative tool like Odia Wikipedia is a promising avenue for this challenge because it allows anyone to contribute to writing, editing and enriching articles.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/opensource-subhashish-panigrahi-may-31-2015-odia-language-wikipedia-page-grows-to-800k-page-views-a-month