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Sylheti
in cyberspace
This site calls itself a global Sylheti homeland in cyberspace,
and claims it is probably the first website in the Internet’s
history to be exclusively dedicated to Sylhetis and Sylheti
culture worldwide.
“The Internet revolution has made us proud that we are
a large, rich and globally spread out community,” say
its promoters.
This site focuses on the Sylheti-speaking Silchar and Barak
Valley.
Their plans include: Publishing a weekly e-newspaper; providing
a platform where technological contributors share their expertise
and experience; to be resource centre with core thrust on
Sylheti history, culture and language and to offer a Sylheti
matrimonial service over the Internet as well as in a conventional
way.
http://www.syhlleti.org
Myopic solutions?
Steven Rudolph, director, Jiva Institute (Faridabad) argues
that the ‘technological haves’ have been using computers
and the Internet for years, which has significantly shaped
their perspective of what technology means and the purposes
it can serve. So, when they attempt to solve a problem with
technology, they tend to view the solutions from their paradigm
of the desktop computer, a Web browser, the Internet, and
so on. He calls this a “myopic” attitude.
Leaving the US to work in India, Rudolph is co-founder of
Jiva Institute, and serves as director of Education and Outreach.
Based near New Delhi since 1994, he has been engaged in the
advancement of information technology and constructivist education
in India. He is currently project consultant to Media Lab
Asia (www.medialabasia.org) for the Baatchit Programme (www.jiva.org/baatchit),
which aims to enhance rural communication and development
through ICTs. He has also served as a consultant to Intel,
Apple Computer, Microsoft, UNESCO, the Ministry of Human Resource
Development (MHRD), the ICSE Board, and the Central Board
of Secondary Education.
Jiva Institute is a non-profit research and development institute
that creates solutions for socio-economic development that
make use of indigenous knowledge systems and technology. Founded
in 1992, the institute operates in four areas: education,
health, culture, and outreach. Jiva has offices in India and
the United States. Web: www.jiva.org e-mail: info@jiva.org
|| http://www.jiva.org/report_details.asp?report_id=55
For the blind
Dipendra Manocha, himself visually impaired, is working in
Delhi, India towards making computers and IT accessible to
the blind. Manocha started 10 years ago , and despite numerous
barriers and challenges (including societal insensitivity
and ridicule), he has built a small computer unit in the not-
for-profit organisation he is working in, where blind people
of all ages can get training on ICT. Currently he is manager
of the same.
Manocha’s contact details:: Dipendra Manocha, manager,
Computer Unit, National Association of Blind, Sector 5, R
K Puram New Delhi India || Tel: 91 11 610 2944
By design
MIT’s Media Lab’s Leo Burd <leoburd@media.mit.edu>
says the second international ‘development by design’
conference in Bangalore, is to be held in December 2002. Paper
submission deadline has been extended to October 7, 2002.
dyd02
will be held on December 1-2. This conference seeks to establish
critical dialogue towards open collaboration in sustainable
technology, design and development. Its organisers invite
diverse perspectives from academia, industry, non-profit organisations,
and independent innovators.
Interested persons are invited to submit a full paper, poster,
video abstract or position paper online. Student projects
will be shown in a design exhibition at the conference. See
paper submission guidelines on the dyd02 website.
Programme co-chairs will be Nitin Sawhney, Poonam Kasturi
and Vijay Chandru. Contact: dyd02@media.mit.edu
http://www.thinkcycle.org/dyd02
CSI convention
Recently, the Computer Society of India(CSI) presented the
e-Governance Award for 2000-01 to the government of Karnataka.
It was received by chief minister S M Krishna from CSI president
Prof C R Muthukrishnan. Karnataka bagged this award for its
land-records related ‘Bhoomi’ project.
Meanwhile, the 37th National Convention of the Computer Society
of India will be held in Bangalore at the J N Tata Auditorium
between Oct 29-31, 2002. An exclusive tutorial on ‘social
computing’ by Dr Ashok Rao of CEDT, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore has been organised.
csi2002.8m.com
Kids... and GNU/Linux
What happens when a handful of poor kids get a GNU/Linux-loaded
computer to play around with? Visit http://www.digitalequalizer.org/kids.htm
Urdu messenger
The world’s first Urdu messenger was launched recently.
It also claims to be the first Urdu site that uses Unicode,
as opposed to the current practice of using scanned graphics.
bbcurdu.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/
Unusual Net
Usha Lunkar <lunkar1@tatan-oval.com> is using cyberspace
to popularise her Mehndi skills. She’s doing this out
of Jesal Park in Bhayandar (East), Mumbai. Says she: “(I
am) a mehendi artist from Rajasthan having 20 years of experience
and have applied mehendi on more than 10,000 hands. Recently
my artwork was appreciated by (filmstar) Pooja Bhatt and others.”
Lunkar is keen to promote her art worldwide by publishing
her designs on a CD-Rom which will attract many other women.
Check out some of her recent work at http://entertainment.vsnl.com./mehndi/mehndi
or even www.kyamastikyadhuum.com
Asked why she went in for a site, Lunkar says she would like
to get a greater exposure worldwide to this traditional art
form of painting the palms of women. “I visit websites
and contact (others) directly for my promotions,” says
she. Over the site she has got some responses and orders.
She can be contacted on 9820497512 or 022-8163991 and via
e-mail at ushalunkar@epatra.com
India Computes! is presented by Frederick Noronha, the
co-founder of BytesForAll, a voluntary, unfunded venture focusing
on how IT and the Internet can benefit the common man, particularly
in South Asia. Join the BytesForAll mailing list by sending
a message to fred@bytesforall.org with “SUB B4ALL”
as subject, or check out the website at www.bytesforall.org
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