Bureau – August 7, 2025: The annual international conference of the Wikimedia movement, Wikimania 2025, is currently being held in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, from August 6 to 9. This year marks a significant milestone as the event celebrates its 20th edition. Representing India, active contributors from both Odia and Santali Wikipedia communities have joined the global gathering of Wikimedians.
From Odisha, two prolific contributors, Chinmayee Mishra and Sangram Keshari Senapati, represented the Odia Wikimedians User Group. Chinmayee, an engineer by profession, began her Wikimedia journey in 2015. Known for her commitment to fostering inclusive spaces and reducing bias, she has been actively working to enhance the participation of women in Wikimedia projects. She also organized the Wiki Women’s Camp India 2023 and played a leading role in hosting a special Wiki Women’s Camp session at Wikimania this year.
Sangram Keshari Senapati, an active contributor since 2014, has been instrumental in various Wikimedia platforms including Odia Wikipedia, Odia Wikisource, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and Lingua Libre. Since 2017, he has been consistently writing a featured article daily on Odia Wikipedia and currently serves as an administrator on Odia Wikisource.
Joining them virtually was Subhashish Panigrahi, an administrator of Odia Wikipedia and a long-time Wikimedian active since 2011. He presented on OpenSpeaks Archives: Language digital archive for Wikimedia projects, focusing on the preservation and accessibility of linguistic heritage through open platforms.
Representing the Santali Wikipedia, Durga Soren has also participated in this year’s Wikimania. A committed contributor since 2017, Durga has played a crucial role in the establishment and growth of the Santali Wikipedia. He has collaborated with both Indian and international organizations to develop Santali language datasets for AI/ML models and translation tools. Currently, he works as a project assistant at NIT Jamshedpur.
As part of the event, the Odia Wikimedians are presenting a poster exhibition showcasing the ongoing activities and milestones of the Odia Wikipedia, scheduled for display on August 8.
The participation of these Wikimedians in Wikimania 2025 is a testament to the growing impact and contributions of the Odia and Santali language communities within the global Wikimedia movement. Their presence offers opportunities to share experiences, learn from a diverse international community, and strengthen the multilingual and inclusive efforts of the Wikimedia ecosystem.
