Submissions/The Wiki-Indian

This is an open submission for Wikimania 2011.

Review no.

67

Title of the submission: The Wiki-Indian

Type of submission (workshop, tutorial, panel, presentation): Presentation

Author of the submission: Swaroop G Rao

E-mail address or username (if username, please confirm email address in Special:Preferences): User:MikeLynch

Country of origin: India

Affiliation, if any (organization, company etc.): R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore ; Wikimedia India

Personal homepage or blog: http://rao-onthemove.blogspot.com

Abstract (please use no less than 300 words to describe your proposal): My presentation titled 'The Wiki-Indian' will show the impact of the Wikimedia movement on the people of India. It will showcase the kind of changes that this movement has brought about in Urban and Rural India, and also the kind of changes it is likely to bring about in the near future. I, being a common Indian man myself, know about most of the challenges that India as a nation, and India as a society face everyday, and will discuss about possible solutions that can be worked out using the Wikimedia projects, considering its wide reach. The highlight of the presentation would be the way the Wiki movement has affected the common Indian man; be it a student, a professional, an academic, a housewife, or a retired senior citizen. Also, with special reference to Rural India, it will showcase the great potential this movement has to develop the poorest of the poor villages into prosperous societies.; India can be best described as an amalgamation of diverse cultures. There are around 29 languages which are spoken natively by more than a million speakers. Projects like Wiktionary and Wikipedia can help immensely in closing the cultural divide that exists, say, between North and South India. This presentation will showcase the ways in which the Wiki community can bridge this divide by getting rid of the wrong inhibitions of other cultures in the society. This presentation will also speak about the development of Wikimedia projects in Indian Languages, with a special focus on the Kannada Wikipedia and the Sanskrit Wikipedia. I will speak about the specific challenges that the Indic Language projects face, and the possible solutions. Also, since India is very diverse by nature, there can be several perspectives to the same topic. This presentation will also cover possible situations that can arise, and possible solutions to the problems.; As an Indian, I am very much aware of the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. I will try my best to present solutions to the India-Pakistan conflict, as well as the Israel-Arab conflict. One of the principal problems in conflicts of this nature is the misconceptions of the other's society. So, the Wikimedia projects, especially Wikipedia could be an ideal tool to bridge this divide.

Track (People and Community/Knowledge and Collaboration/Infrastructure): Wiki Culture and the Community

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: Yes, if my scholarship is approved.

Slides or further information (optional): I am preparing another presentation, relating to Knowledge and Collaboration. I will try and put up slides of both presentations sometime in May, when I am likely to have finished with the presentations.

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