The first article on Kannada Wikipedia was created , shortly after the Wiki itself was created. The topic was Shimoga – now Shivamogga. Since then, the Kannada Wiki has grown, but it has been in fits and starts, but there are hopes for sustained development.
According to U B Pavanaja, IT and Kannada expert and editor of ‘Vishwa Kannada’, a lot of work is happening in promoting Kannada and Tulu. Some of their projects are funded by Wikimedia Foundation (WF) through the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS), while a majority are funded by the community.
Recalling the initial days, Hariprasad Nadig said theirs was just a team of four members. “Firstly, I cleaned the Kannada section by removing some opinion pieces (Wiki expects objectivity in contributions). A community was formed, leading to weekly collaborations. We started writing articles on Kannada writers and literature, starting with Kuvempu,” he said, adding they later diversified into other general topics.
The number of articles published so far is 26,500 under different heads -- history or Kannada literature, science write-ups, mechanical engineering, health/Covid-19, Indian cattle breeds, etc.
Self-driven writers
The contributors are from various walks of life -- bloggers, students, teachers, etc -- and some of them have been long-time contributors, like retired teacher B S Chandrashekhar (Sagar) and H R Lakshmi Venkatesh (Mumbai). Some of those who have contributed immensely include Vasanth S N, Shreekanth Mishrikoti, Shushruth, Om Shivaprakash, Vikas Hegde and those with usernames Sangappadyamani, Mana and ArthurBot.
There have been many awareness programmes and Editothons across Karnataka to expand the community. In 2013, four such events were hosted in Mysuru and about 25 in Mangaluru. The other cities to host the events are Udupi, Ujre, Moodbidri, Sagar, Shivamogga, Tumakuru and Belagavi. While each of those events had 30-35 participants, five of them volunteered to contribute, but only two ended up being regulars.
According to Pavanaja, a new set of volunteers remains active for two years. “The decennial celebration held in 2013 had lexicographer G Venkatasubbaiah as the chief guest. Thanks to media, the event helped in creating awareness about Kannada Wiki and also reach out to many prospective contributors,” he said, adding he could mentor a lot of them during his stint as an evangelist at CIS during 2013-16. Being the admin of Kannada and Tulu Wiki, he is continuing the endeavour now.
The rise of Tulu
The ‘Wikipedia in Education Programme’, started in colleges in Bengaluru and Mangaluru in 2013, paid off with the community getting new faces from the coast, with most of them being still active there. A meeting in Mangaluru in 2014 and the subsequent formation of Karavali Wikipedia Users’ Group in early 2017 gave fillip to Tulu. The 23rd Indian language to have a Wiki edition went live in 2016 (after eight years of being in incubation), and has 1,350 articles now.
The academician-student team comprising Vishwanath Badikana, Kishore Kumar Rai, Bharatesha Alasandemajalu, Babitha L Shetty, Kavitha Ganesh, Arpitha Hegde, Vinoda Mamatha Rai and Dhanalakshmi K T has been promoting coastal heritage and culture.
Speaking of their ambitious project, Vishwanath said they are working on providing Tulu content to schoolkids -- either as soft copy to be read on gadgets or in printed form -- so they are not deprived of content for want of internet.
“Majority of Tulu culture is passed on orally, and it is important to document it for generations. Schoolkids studying Tulu language do not have any reading material other than those given in textbooks,” the Kannada lecturer said, adding it is this gap they are striving to fill.
Their team of 20 members keeps visiting rural areas to document cultural facets of coast like Bhootaradhane, performing arts, etc. “We are also keeping scholars and subject experts in the loop so they know what’s being documented,” he explained. As the contents have photos, they make it to Wikipedia Commons.
As far as funding for such projects is concerned, Vishwanath said it would do good if companies donate under CSR initiatives.
As much as funding, the entry of new contributors with fresh ideas is also important, says Pavanaja. “World knowledge should be available in your language,” he adds.
Endorsing the aforesaid needs, Nadig highlighted how important it is to have a balance in editing by diverse contributors. “Indeed it is challenging. Having articles apolitical and clear of chaos is key,” he signs off.

BENGALURU: While the ruralto-urban transformation has positive societal aspects, it almost put engineering seat aspirant Adarsha Bhat in an odd situation: He would have lost the chance to avail 15 per cent reservation provided for rural students as his hometown in Dakshina Kannada’s Vittala, where he studied for seven years, was declared a ‘transitional’ area.
However, the high court came to the 18-year-old’s rescue by issuing an interim order, directing the block education officer (BEO) of Bantwal taluk in Dakshina Kannada district to put his counter-signature on the proforma for rural study certificate so as to enable Bhat upload his documents on the KEA website.
A division bench headed by Justice BV Nagarathna passed the order, enabling him to upload the documents just before the last date of September 3.
Bhat, who secured 1,001 rank in the Common Entrance Test, 2020, is an aspirant for an engineering seat.
He claimed he is eligible to both — the 15 per cent reservation provided for rural students under the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Education Rules, 2006 and also the 5 per cent supernumerary quota provided for general merit candidates.
Bhat challenged section 2(2) of the Karnataka Reservation of Appointments or Posts (in Civil Services of the State) for Rural Candidates Act, 2000 in so far as exclusion of those residing in transitional areas from being considered as candidates from rural areas, as the same rules are adopted by KEA for determining rural background.
He had studied in Vittala Jaycees English Medium School situated in a rural area, from class 1 to 10. He then moved to Mangaluru and completed II PU, securing 548 marks out of 600.

Ever since Samsung announced that it is all set to launch the Samsung Galaxy M51, the tech world has been full of speculations. The curiosity meter is soaring even higher because Samsung has confirmed that this latest addition to the M series will be the #MeanestMonsterEver and will take the market by storm! And going by social media posts that were released on Samsung, it seems quite evident that the device is packed to a punch with some mind-blowing specs! It is pegged to be larger than life in more ways than one and we can’t help but wonder what its battery, camera, processor, or display would look like. One thing that we are sure of is that it will make every other device in town go green with envy! Actually, we think it has already happened.
Samsung’s claim that the Galaxy M51 is the the #MeanestMonsterEver did not go down well with Mo-B the monster, who has now challenged Samsung for a face-off. The mysterious Mo-B has called itself the #MeanestMonsterEver and that Samsung Galaxy M51 has to prove itself to win this coveted title! This open challenge by Mo-B for a faceoff has triggered our excitement beyond limits and while we were already speculating about Samsung’s latest monster device, we are now wondering who actually is Mo-B and what makes it so mighty and powerful?!

From the video that Samsung has released, it seems apparent that Mo-B is a hulkish monster that would not dare to challenge Samsung Galaxy M51, touted to be the #MeanestMonsterEver, if it was not loaded with the powers to fight it. This makes us even more curious how the Samsung Galaxy M51 is going to prove its worth. Will it win the title of the #MeanestMonsterEver and become the champion or will angry Mo-B choke-slam Samsung Galaxy M51 and take the title home? This suspense is certainly getting too much to bear!

One thing that we know for sure is that this will be one edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting thriller that we haven’t seen in a long time. Furious Mo-B seems to be absolutely determined to prove itself but going by the buzz, Samsung Galaxy M51 is no small change either! The grapevine confirms that the Samsung Galaxy M51 is loaded with a massive Battery Back-up, a stunning display, a sleek Quad-Cam set up at the back a blazing-fast Qualcomm ^Ⓡ Snapdragon ^TM Processor, and of course Samsung’s signature Infinity-O display! It is no secret that Samsung is a brand that ups its game with every launch and this new monster too is set to sweep us off our feet with an array of powerful features. But before that happens, it has to face Mo-B the monster and tell the world what it is made of.

In an absolutely mean contest, Mo-B and Samsung Galaxy M51 are set to go through multiple rounds of challenges where they have to fight for the coveted title. We are assuming that both the monsters have to prove their strength and power through their features and only the one who can crush their opponent like a true monster gets to become the #MeanestMonsterEver!

Throughout this year, Samsung has been in the news for its various M-series launches and with every device, the brand has rejigged the way we see the smartphone. From offering us with exceptional battery backup to making the camera set up professional, the M-series has done it all and this makes us even more impatient for Samsung Galaxy M51’s arrival.
The phone is set to be out some time in September and will be available for sale on Amazon.in and Samsung.com. So go get notified today! Until then, let's grab our popcorn and get set for the Mo-B versus Galaxy M51 Armageddon that will feature a series of rounds for the title of the undisputed champion!
The face-off between the monsters is coming up soon! Stay tuned for the first challenge!

BENGALURU: A one-km road in northeast Bengaluru has turned into a slush track after it was dug up for various works, which remain unfinished for over a year. This has prompted hundreds of residents to walk or cycle from their doorstep to access their cars and two-wheelers parked at a distance.
Golden Palm Main Road linking Thanisandra and K Narayanapura is a motorists’ and pedestrians’ nightmare. Nearly 3,000 people live in 300 flats of three apartment complexes and 20 bungalows along the stretch.
With the dug-up road making it impossible for vehicles to ply, especially when it rains, residents prefer parking their cars and bikes towards the Thanisandra side and riding bicycles or walking to reach their homes. Nearly a dozen residents say their mountain bikes are coming in handy as walking on the slippery track is not easy. What’s worse, there are no streetlights along the road.
Anshuman Kaushik, a resident of KNarayanapura, said many people park their vehicles at the end of the street where some asphalted surface exists and walk/cycle to and from their homes.
“Recently, an elderly woman walking back home was stuck in the slush. Her relative walked towards my apartment and screamed for help. We took out bicycles, helped the woman get on one and took her home,” Kaushik told TOI.
The road was first dug up for laying of OFCs, after which BBMP began shoulder drain work. It was dug up again, this time by BWSSB, for laying underground drainage lines, he explained. Nandish Ramamurthy, another resident of K Narayanapura, said his car once got stuck on the road and he had to ask his family members to get off and walk to the apartment. Even ambulances, fire tenders and police vans can’t enter the road in case of emergency, he lamented.
Vanishree Praveen, a food entrepreneur, said: “I have never had any health issues, but after I began using this road I have had two slip discs. Doctors and home nurses are not willing to visit because of the poor road condition,” Praveen said. Ruchi Kumar, a homemaker, said that a scooter can easily sink in the slush track. “There have been times when people have used ropes to pull two-wheelers out,” she added.