MANGALURU: Tulu Wikipedia, an initiative to document the Tulu language, literature, culture and heritage in the digital realm, has completed 10 years of its live version. To commemorate the decade-long journey and outline the future roadmap, the Karavali Wikimedians User Group have decided to organise a two-day celebration at AJ Grand Hotel in Mangaluru on September 12 and 13.
Dr Vishwanath Badikana, the president of the Karavali Wikimedians Users Group, who held a press conference in Mangaluru on Saturday, said that they are documenting living heritage and indigenous wisdom, such as Ati Kalanja and Suggi Kunitha of Tulunadu, by encouraging people traditionally engaged in them and providing them with financial help.
“Initiated in 2008, Tulu Wikipedia remained in the incubator phase for nearly eight years before it went live in August 2016. With this milestone, Tulu became the 23rd Indian language edition of Wikipedia. Today, it hosts more than 3,800 articles spanning diverse fields.
A team of dedicated volunteers, balancing their careers and personal lives, consistently devotes time to writing articles, compiling information, documenting photographs, verifying source materials, adding necessary references and editing entries. Initially, Dr UB Pavanaja guided the team of scholars and volunteers, including Prof BA Viveka Rai, Prof A V Navada, K P Rao, Vamana Nandavara and Dr Kishore Kumar Rai Sheni, who supported the initiative,” he said.
