WikiConference India-2023 (WCI-2023), a three-day flagship community conference of Indian and South Asian contributors to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects was held in Hyderabad.
The event was jointly organised by the Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana and IIIT, Hyderabad. It was attended by over 200 people and explored methods to enhance the access and sharing of Indian history, culture and experiences on free knowledge projects globally. Participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka met for the first large meeting of Wikimedia contributors since 2016.
The theme for the conference was “Strengthening Bonds,” to highlight the vital role of building and maintaining robust connections within Wikimedia’s open source communities. The theme was rooted in the belief that a strong support system and opportunities for cross-learning are essential for achieving collective success.
Wikipedia is available in 24 spoken languages across India, which speaks volumes about the significance of Indian contributors to the website and Wikimedia projects, including such as Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource and Wikidata, also help in improving technology development and features on Wikimedia websites.
Readers in India visit Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects more than 797 million times each month, the fifth highest number of views from any country. Speaking of India’s contribution to the website, Wikimedia Foundation’s Chief Advancement Officer and Deputy to the CEO, Lisa Seitz-Gruwell said, “India continues to be a key region of expansion for Wikimedia’s knowledge communities, with a growing number of volunteer contributors and enormous potential to expand our reader base in the country. Wikiconference India is an opportunity to celebrate our local communities and their achievements in increasing access to free knowledge across languages.”
The conference provided a platform for contributors interested in Indic-language Wikimedia projects and other aspects of the movement in India and South Asia. As one of the first volunteer-focused gatherings since the pandemic, WCI-2023 offered a space to connect, share stories, learning best practices, challenges, and discuss the future strategy for the region.
Participants attended panel discussions, workshops, project showcases and learning sessions on topics ranging from technology, sustainability of open source communities and knowledge building through collaborative tools and projects.
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