Bhubaneswar, August 9, 2024 - The international event Wikimania, celebrated annually by the Wikimedia community and Wikipedia enthusiasts, is being held this year in Katowice, Poland. Participants from Odisha, including both Odia and Santali Wikimedians (volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia), have joined the event. This year, the program spans four days from August 7 to August 10.
Members of the Odia Wikimedians User Group, including Subhashish Panigrahi, Chinmayee Mishra, and Aliva Sahu, are representing Odisha. Chinmayee Mishra, an engineer and enthusiastic Wikimedian, joined Wikimedia in 2015. He is known for his efforts to create an inclusive space free from discrimination or bias, where everyone has ample opportunity to progress. Chinmayee participated in four sessions at this year's Wikimania, with a special presentation for the Wiki Women's Camp.
Another active Wikimedian since 2015, Aliva Sahu has been contributing significantly to both the Odia and Hindi Wikipedias. She also contributes to Wikimedia Commons, Odia Wikisource, and Wikidata. With the support of Wikimedia Netherlands, Aliva has been able to attend Wikimania for the first time.
Ramjit Tudu, representing the Santali Wikipedia at this year's Wikimania, is an active member of both Odia and Santali Wikipedias. He has played a key role in the establishment and rapid growth of the Santali Wikipedia. He is attending this event with a scholarship from CIS-A2K. Besides his involvement with Wikipedia, Ramjit runs his own organization, Olchikitex, and an e-magazine, Birmali Santali, continuing his efforts for the digital empowerment of the Santali language.
Shailesh, who has been contributing to Odia Wikipedia for a long time, has worked extensively with the government to make Odia content available under the Creative Commons license. He currently works as an employee of the Wikimedia Foundation. Subhashish Panigrahi, the project coordinator of Odia Wikipedia, has been working on Odia Wikipedia since 2011. His efforts made Odia Wikipedia the first South Asian language Wikipedia available since 2002. Besides Wikipedia, he has also significantly contributed to Wikisource, Wikidata, and Lingua Libre, enhancing the Odia language's presence on the internet and in the digital era.
The participation of these Wikimedians from Odisha in the international event Wikimania showcases the growing contribution and involvement of the Odia and Santali language communities in the Wikimedia ecosystem. Their presence at this prestigious event provides an opportunity to share their experiences, learn from the global community, and further strengthen the multilingual efforts of the Wikimedia movement.
