The Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, officially inaugurated the two-day Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit. This summit is part of the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav and is scheduled to run from September 30th to October 1st, 2023. Additionally, he marked the commencement of the 75-day-long Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav, which began on September 28th, 2023.
According to his address at the summit, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan mentioned that India’s rich cultural heritage and technological advancements have been intertwined, with scholars from all over the world visiting India for centuries to explore its knowledge systems. He emphasized the limitless potential of merging Indian languages and technology, which unlocks the country’s vast talent pool. He mentioned that technology can also facilitate the contextualization of Indian knowledge systems. He expressed hope that the discussions during the summit on language for technology, language in technology, and language through technology would establish a robust ecosystem for Indian languages. He highlighted India’s significant contributions to the global medical sector and pointed out that one-third of the world’s coders have Indian origins, which serves as a testament to the nation’s strength in technology and innovation.
Shri Sridhar Vembu, the Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIIT-DM, Kanchipuram, and the CEO of Zoho Corporation, gave the keynote address. In his keynote address, he highlighted the significance of language acquisition for mastering skills like coding, which require a deep understanding of structural elements. The event saw the presence of distinguished individuals, educators, technology and language experts, as well as officials from the Ministry of Education.
The Government of India has suggested commemorating the birthday of the celebrated Tamil poet and freedom fighter Mahakavi Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati as Bharatiya Bhasha Divas, which falls on December 11th. The Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav, initiated on September 28th, 2023, will extend for 75 days, concluding on December 11th, 2023. Throughout this period, schools and higher education institutions will organize a range of events centered on Bharatiya languages.
The Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit’s primary goal is to facilitate a seamless transition from the current education system to one deeply rooted in Bharatiya languages, aligning with the NEP-2020 vision. It also aims to pave the way for a technologically advanced future for the use of Bharatiya languages in education. The summit, which is part of the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav, features three key thematic sessions: (i) Technology FOR Bharatiya Languages, (ii) Technology IN Bharatiya Languages, and (iii) Technology THROUGH Bharatiya Languages.
These thematic sessions will underscore the significance of integrating technology to promote Bharatiya Bhasha across various aspects, including its role in teaching, training, examinations, and the translation of educational materials. Throughout the summit, crucial discussions will revolve around topics such as “Leveraging Technology for Bharatiya Languages,” “Localization of Operating Systems and Software,” “Search Engine Localization,” and more. There will be a comprehensive roadmap established to actualize the vision of education in Bharatiya Languages, with active participation from stakeholders representing diverse sectors. These stakeholders include academia, students, research scholars, professionals from the edutech and infotech industries, technical experts, media representatives, and freelancers.
The brochure for the conference and the minute-to-minute program schedule can be accessed on the website below: https://technology-bharatiyabhasha.aicte-india.org/