Mangalore: Innovative Online Script Conversion Tool 'Konkanverter' Launched

Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (VM)

Mangalore, Aug 11: 'Konkanverter', a pathbreaking initiative by the World Konkani Centre (WKC) aimed at breaking the barriers of script in Konkani literature, was launched here on Saturday August 11.

'Konkanverter' is an innovative online technology that can transliterate Konkani words in four scripts - Kannada, Devanagari, Romi and Malayalam. Soon, Perso-Arabic script will also be added. The website, www.konkanverter.com, is currently launched in beta version.

The website was launched by Ramdas Kamath, senior vice-president, Infosys, Bangalore. Addressing the gathering, he said, "It is indeed a great achievement by the World Konkani Centre. Technology is a tool for progress. By adopting technology, the World Konkani Centre has brought five scripts on a single platform."

He congratulated the people behind 'Konkanverter' on their achievement and wished them good luck.

Raknno Konkani weekly editor Fr Francis Rodrigues said that computer has memory but not imagination, and that imagination has to be infused into technology by people. Congratulating the Konkanverter team for developing the software, he said, "Konkanverter is a great tool as Konkani can be transliterated into different scripts. In future, language translator will also surely be developed."

He further added, "Difference in language has created gaps in the community, and hence this converter will help people of different languages and religions to come together."

WKC president Basti Vaman Shenoy said that though WKC has been organizing various programmes and taking several initiatives, the launch of Konkanverter stands out among them all. "We should not stop at this, but go on achieving and developing more," he added.

He also said that Konkanverter should be made popular by visiting various places and demonstrating how it works.

World Institute of Konkani Language (WIKL) assistant director and Konkanverter project leader Guru Baliga briefly explained the working of Konkanverter. He also proposed the vote of thanks. Venkatesh Baliga welcomed and Murel Tauro compered.

Language technology expert Vinodh Rajan of Chennai, Melvyn Rodrigues, Pradeep G Pai, Gokuldas Prabhu, Rocky Miranda, Damodar Ganekar, Seema Prabhu and others were present.

Speaking to Daijiworld, Guru Baliga said that Konkanverter is one of the most significant initiatives in the history of Konkani language. "This project has been undertaken not for profit; it is a non-profit venture, developed mainly to break the barriers of script in Konkani."

He further said, "Work on Perso-Arabic script is going on and will soon be added. Before its release the software underwent various stages of testing. The work on the project began two years ago, and the coding was started on May 1 this year. It has been done by Vinodh Rajan of Chennai, who has scripts of almost all Asian languages," he said.