WikiConference India 2026: Strengthening South Asian Language Communities through Collaboration

Participation and Moderation at WikiConference India 2026 WikiConference India 2026, held from 3–6 September 2026 in Kochi, Kerala, India, brought together Wikimedians, community leaders, volunteers, and open-knowledge enthusiasts from across India and South Asia. As a South Asian Ambassador of Wikipedia Asian Month (WAM), I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion titled “Strengthening South Asian Language Communities through Wikipedia Asian Month.” The session focused on the role of Wikipedia Asian Month in encouraging collaboration, supporting smaller language communities, and creating opportunities for Wikimedians across South Asia. The panel brought together members of the Wikipedia Asian Month Steering Committee and language community organisers, including Mr. Suyash Dwivedi and Mr. Kuldeep Singh, along with Dr. Hariprasad Shetty representing the Tulu language community, Ms. Pranjyothi from the Assamese community, Mr. Sangram Senapati from the Odia community, and Mr. Vijay Barot from the Gujarati community. The discussion explored the challenges and opportunities faced by South Asian language communities, including community growth, contributor engagement, cross-language collaboration, organising activities, and sustaining volunteer participation. I also introduced the various Wikipedia Asian Month initiatives, achievements, future plans, and expansion of the WAM User Group. The session also provided an opportunity to explain the upcoming grant application process and encourage communities to participate in future Wikipedia Asian Month activities. Sharing Karnataka’s Folk Art Documentation Project During the conference, I also presented my “Documenting the Folk Arts of North Karnataka” project. The presentation focused on the use of Wikimedia platforms for documenting and preserving intangible cultural heritage. With support from a Wikimedia Foundation Rapid Grant, the project has documented more than 100 videos of Karnataka’s folk arts and oral cultural traditions. The presentation highlighted the process of identifying traditional art forms, working with communities and performers, recording the performances, and making the documentation freely available through Wikimedia platforms. The project demonstrated how Wikimedia initiatives can contribute to the digital preservation of local cultural heritage while creating freely accessible resources for researchers, students, educators, and the wider public. Building South Asian Collaboration and Future Opportunities WikiConference India 2026 also provided an excellent opportunity to connect with Wikimedians and community organisers from different parts of South Asia. During the conference, I interacted with members from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian communities, and several participants expressed interest in collaborating on future Wikipedia Asian Month activities. These interactions opened up possibilities for greater cross-community collaboration, joint editing campaigns, cultural documentation projects, and knowledge-sharing initiatives across South Asian language Wikipedias. I also had the opportunity to share the activities of the St Aloysius Wiki Club, including its efforts to engage students in Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource, Wikidata, and other Wikimedia projects. Several participants appreciated the initiatives of the Wiki Club and its approach to integrating Wikimedia activities with student learning and community engagement. Overall, WikiConference India 2026 was a valuable platform for sharing experiences, presenting Wikimedia projects, strengthening connections with South Asian language communities, and developing new possibilities for collaboration through Wikipedia Asian Month and other open-knowledge initiatives. Can you help us translate this article? In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out? Start translation