A Decade of Bangla Wikipedia

ENGLISH SECTION ebruary 21 st for a Bangla is one of the 20 while has been a day Indian languages to have a of celebration only Wikipedia Presence. Ffor Bengali-speaking Calcutta University people of Bangladesh as registrar Basab Chaudhuri we struggled to save our said in this gathering, “We mother language on this hear of digital divide all very day, but now it is a the time. Here it is about day of respect, pride, digital inclusiveness. The protest and festivities for University Grants people around the globe, as Commission talks of four they now observes the day factors to make a good as `International Mother university - access, equity, Language Day’ , to honor quality and employability. the sacrifices made by our What a teacher cannot give language martyrs of in class, he can offer on the 1952.We have another remarkable day in this February for which we may feel proud of. And the very remarkable day is A decade of Bangla February 26, the founding day of Bangla Wikipedia. Accordingly last February 26 was the 10 th founding anniversary of it. The local branch of the Wikimedia Wikipedia Golap Monir Foundation, Bangladesh recently has celebrated the th 10 anniversary of Bangla treasurer Ali Haider Khan, Mallik, Jubair-bin-Iqbal Wikipedia. Daffodil members Shabab Mustafa, and Md. Galib. It may be world wide web. The University was the co- Nasir Khan, Tanvir mentioned here that to question of quality in organizer of this event here Murshed, diector Nahid celebrate the 10 th founding Wikipedia can be in Dhaka. Junaid Ahmad Sultan, Mohin Ryad and anniversary of Bangla addressed through Palak, State Minister for Wikipedia contributor Afifa Wikipedia events were also workshops like this,” ICT inaugurated the event, Afrin. Bangla Wikipedia organized earlier at Dhaka, Wikimedia Foundation while Prof. Dr. Lutfur contributors from Kolkata Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, trustee Bishakha Datta Rahman, vice-chancellor of also participated spoke of the uneasy Daffodil International in this event. At relationship between University and Munir the concluding Wikipedia and academia, Hasan, chairman of session winners of especially over Wikimedia Foundation image competition was authenticity. Joint were also present in this awarded and top registrar Sanjay Gopal function. Nurunnabi Wikipedians were honored Sarkar argued in favour Chowdhury Hasib, by Journalist and writer of the existence of Administrator of Bangla Anisul Haque Daffodil Wikipedia articles in the Wikipedia and Director at International University vernacular. “It is a part of Wikimedia Bangladesh dean lA.S.M Mahbubul the empowerment of my moderated the event. The Haque Mojumdar. Subrata mother tongue.” He said. day-long event hosted Roy, Yahia, Afta-uz- “It is not enough to have workshops and seminars Zaman, Intequb Alam Sylhet 33,000 articles (the English for volunteers and Chowdhuey, Ankab Ghosh and Rangpur. version has 4.7 million). th contributors on improving Dastidar, Protya Ghosh, The 10 anniversary of Workshops need to be held the information, entry Masum Ibne Musa, Md. Bangla Wikipedia was also in Bengal and Assam on editing, adding images and Sheik Sadi, Asif Muktadir celebrated recently in how to write articles. If many more. There was a and A.k.M Sahadat India at Jadavpur Wikipedia and the special seminar for the Hussain were honored as University with a gathering universities join hands, a women too. These the top ten contributors. of Bagla-speaking battalion of writers and workshops were conducted The winners of image Wikipedians across India, editors can be created.” by Wikimedia Bangladesh competition were Sumon as we know well that The Bangladeshi delegates 44 COMPUTER JAGAT JUNE 2015 ENGLISH SECTION revealed how Wikipedia’s articles on different topics February 26, ‘There is a Wikipedia, and six of them mission of making from history to science and great scope for the Bengali are Bangladeshis, while knowledge free was getting politics to nature. Wikipedia and its users to others are not. Basically a technological boost back Currently, around 77 become one of the most the main authority of the home. “Grameenphone and thousand plus freelance useable in the world, if the encyclopedia is Bangladesh Bangla Link, two of our contributors are enlisted contents number increase Wikimedia Foundation, biggest mobile service with Bangla Wikipedia, to properly. And to increase although the Bengali providers, have made enrich the Bangla the number of the contents language using people Facebook and Wikipedia Wikipedia, with a aim to of Bengali Wikipedia we from other countries can free. Subscribers just have bring the knowledge to the need more and more contribute with their to log on to specific people from all walks of writers.’ He also says that articles. It may be noted domains (0.facebook.com life. that most writers of the and zero.wikipedia.org) to The early Bengali Wikipedia are see picture-less texts,” said days young students. But we Ankan Ghosh Dastidar, a need highly-educated Class XI student from people like teachers, Dhaka. doctors and others to A group editing session contribute their articles in took place on the second their own areas of day with 15 volunteers expertise. translating articles from the According to the officials, English Wikipedia and the use of Bengali adding new articles in Wikipedia has been Bengali. Some also significantly rising since worked on Wiktionary, the last year, when the an online dictionary, Wikipedia Zero was and others on launched. The website- Wikisource, typing out zero.wikipedia.org is a pages of seminal texts free website that outside copyright. does not require Over a decade of its any internet data journey have faced a to log in. To log number of challenges. in to the Now Bangla website, one Wikipedia just needs an exclusively for the internet Bengali language enabled mobile readers across the phone or any other world ranks third devices. Currently, among the 287 Grameen Phone and different language of Bengali Wikipedia was according to depth, a Banglalink provide the Wikipedia sites, based on not as smooth as there mathematical method used services for the consumers, depth. In 2004, this were only a few to evaluate articles written while two other operators Bengali version of contributors, still the main in different languages, are planning to follow suite Wikipedia began its problem of the Bengali Bengali Wikipedia is now in future. Currently many journey with an article Wikipedia is the lack of standing in the third poor people from the titled ‘Bangladesh’. The active contributors. Beyond position after the English distant parts of Bangladesh article was initiated by a its large number of and Macedonian Wikipedia are getting knowledge young boy named Hemayet contributors, there are sites. freely through Bengali from Bangladesh. The around 3,400 people who ‘The English language is Wikipedia Zero. article was later enriched actively write for the globally used. So it is a On a January day in 2004 by many other Wikipedians encyclopedia today. very tough competition was born the domain, from Bangladesh. From According to the official between Macedonian and bn.wikipedia.org , giving then onwards, we are data of Bengali Wikipedia, Bangla Wikipedia for the readers access to an online actually being facilitated since February, only 494 second position. And I do open-source encyclopaedia by the Bangla Wikipedia. contributors were active in believe Bengali Wikipedia in Bengali. Its English More contributors are writing for the contents in has the opportunity to do cousin was already three joining hands with it and it. well in future to entitle 2.5 years old. Closer home, the enriching the Bangla As reported in a local daily, lakh content,’ he says. Punjabi, Assamese, Odiya Wikipedia with 34,907 (till Wikipedia co-founder Currently, there we have 13 domains were a year and March 3) contents or Jimmy Wales said on administrators for Bengali half CJ 45 COMPUTER JAGAT JUNE 2015.

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