3 weeks ago
Tulu Wikipedia Marks 10 Years as a Live Edition
Tulu is a language spoken by millions of people in coastal Karnataka in India.
For centuries, it has been shared through songs, stories, rituals and folk traditions.
A group of volunteers wanted Tulu to also have a place on the internet.
They worked for about eight years, and in 2016 Tulu got its own Wikipedia edition.
On August 6, that edition celebrated 10 years since it went live.
Today it has more than 3,700 articles about Tulu culture, festivals, places and people.
Volunteers teach students at colleges how to write and improve Wikipedia articles.
Having Tulu online helps people all over the world learn about the language.
It also helps translation tools and AI systems use Tulu, because they learn from digital information.
Tulu Wikipedia completed 10 years as a live edition on August 6.
Work began in 2008, and the edition spent nearly eight years in the incubator before going live in 2016.
The platform now has more than 3,700 articles on Tulu culture, traditions, places, festivals and people.
Volunteers ran workshops at colleges, including St Aloysius College, to train students as contributors.
Tulu was announced as the 23rd Indian-language Wikipedia edition at a 2016 Wikimedia conference in Chandigarh.
- Who
- A group of volunteers led by the Karavali Wikimedians User Group, including Dr Vishwanath Badikana, Dr UB Pavanaja and scholar Purushottam Bilimale
- What
- Tulu Wikipedia completed 10 years as a live edition, with more than 3,700 articles on Tulu culture, language, people and places
- Where
- Coastal Karnataka, India; the launch was announced at a Wikimedia conference in Chandigarh in 2016
- When
- August 6, marking a decade since the edition went live in 2016
- Why
- To give the Tulu language a strong presence on the internet, preserve its traditional knowledge for younger generations and support digital tools such as translation and AI
Key facts
- Milestone
- 10 years as a live Wikipedia edition
- Anniversary date
- August 6
- Live edition since
- 2016
- Work began
- 2008 (in the incubator)
- Article count
- More than 3,700
- Ranking
- 23rd Indian-language Wikipedia edition
- Key organisation
- Karavali Wikimedians User Group (formed January 2017)
- Language status
- Not a state language; not included in the Eighth Schedule
Quotes
Bharathesha Alasandemajalu
Active Tulu Wikipedia contributor
““Many people in Karnataka and even in the country may not know about Tulu. But when Tulu Wikipedia became live, the world came to know that there is a language called Tulu.””
deccanchronicle.com
““We do it out of interest. It is really nice to see the Tulu Wikipedia growing. We put something new to Wikipedia.””
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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