BHASHA- Bridging Linguistic Barriers

When I first heard about Bhasha, I wondered what it could be. An ‘Indian Languages Digital Festival’ was something never heard before. But somewhere “India Languages” rang familiar notes. I had started anticipating something close to my roots, Indian roots. And the fact that it was coming from Yourstory.com made it clear that festival will be about voices hitherto unheard of.

And I wasn’t wrong. The Indian Languages Digital Festival, Bhasha, was indeed about giving voices to local Indian languages; of bringing them into mainstream, making them part of Digital India campaign. The festival was a reminder that there is the world beyond our English speaking coterie. Digital India Campaign will be meaningless if it leaves out 90 percent of Indian masses who don’t identify with English.

The festival, in support of Ministry of Culture, brought together leading language experts, policy makers, cultural performers, and other industry experts who discussed the opportunities, roadblocks and plan of action forward to ensure Indian languages thrive in the digital ecosystem.

Companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Samsung lead by example in reaching out and providing tools and access to the people to advance the local languages. It's time larger tech industry follow the suit as there is a whole big world of business opportunities lying in the hinterlands.

Another highlight of Bhasha was the startup showcase by 13 startups working in the linguistic arena. These included Lipikar, BiliTutor, Shradhanjali, Planet GOGO, IndianTTS, Megdap Innovation Labs Pvt Ltd., eReleGo, Tide Learning, Matrubharti, Shabdanagri, IndusOS, Linguavista, and Pratilipi.

The message was clear- Go multilingual. Give people what is their right to have- the internet in their native language. Digitization should not be limited just to India, it needs to reach Bharat. The panel session on ‘Celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of India,’ discussed this aspect and laid emphasis on the need to bridge the digital gap between India and Bharat and the challenges that individuals and organizations encounter while working with local languages.

Language is not just a means of communication; it determines the books that are read, the media one is exposed to, the realm of ideas one breathes in, the values and personal interests one holds, and one’s career opportunities. In essence, it is who we are; it defines our identities. People in the rural heart of India are both potential businessmen/women and customers for e-commerce portals.

You have to engage people in their comfort zone. Speak to them in their own language. It is an investment that will surely reap in profits both for the nation as well as private technology sector.

There was meaningful deliberation around ‘Using technology as a platform to engage the local language reader, and business models to ensure the commercial success of regional language content providers’ in a panel session participated by Google, ‘Fortune India’ magazine, and Aspada among others.

Executives from Xiaomi, Micromax, Radio Mirchi and Internet radio Radiowallaalso debated on ‘How companies can go multi-lingual and the challenges in advertising and branding for such companies.’

There were some beautiful performances too by MaatiBaani of musical duo Nirali and Karthik, Marathi singer KushalInamdar, and an even passionate case for the Bhojpuri language by popular Bhojpuri singer Manoj Tewari.

It is apt I conclude with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO of YourStory, words- “Our languages are a precious knowledge resource and of immense cultural and emotional significance to be allowed to wither away. We are all committed to ensuring their survival and growth in the new digital India that is evolving.”

CIOL team will eagerly await Bhasha’s second edition coming this November.