Bhubaneswar, July 14, 2026:
The Odia Wikimedians User Group organised a special gathering in Bhubaneswar to
mark the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia and celebrate the growth of free
knowledge initiatives in the Odia language.
The gathering was held at Studio
NR near Patia in Bhubaneswar on July 13, as part of a series of programmes
organised by the Odia Wikimedians User Group throughout 2026 to
commemorate Wikipedia’s 25 years.
Active Odia Wikipedia
contributors Chinmayee Mishra and Sangram Keshari Senapati
introduced participants to Wikipedia and spoke about various projects of the
Wikimedia Foundation. The programme brought together writers, poets, volunteers
and members of the Wikimedia community.
Poet Patitapaban Pani,
poet Shital Mishra, who works with All India Radio Cuttack, along with Abhilipsa
Padhi, Pradip Sethi, Ambikesh Rout, Chirashree Chinmayee and Abinash
Nayak, among others, attended the event. More than 15 volunteers also
participated and learned about Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects.
The Bhubaneswar gathering was
part of a year-long series of activities marking Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary.
The Odia Wikimedia community began its celebrations in January with programmes
aimed at creating awareness about Wikipedia and encouraging wider participation
in the free knowledge movement.
On January 10, an awareness
activity was organised at a literary event in Bhubaneswar, where Wikipedia was
promoted through a dedicated standee. In January, a selfie stand was set up
during the Bhadrak Mahotsav, attracting more than 500 visitors,
including the Bhadrak District Collector and Sub-Collector. Bhadrak District
Collector Dilip Routray also joined the celebrations and cut a cake on
stage to mark Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary.
A workshop was subsequently
organised on March 6 at Gangadhar Mahapatra Law College in Puri, where
more than 40 students participated and learned how to edit Wikipedia.
The anniversary campaign also
extended to digital and print media. Wikimedia volunteer Sangram Keshari
Senapati participated in a podcast on the Ananya Digital Channel to discuss
Wikipedia and its significance. In addition, the weekly newspaper Salandi
Samachar published an editorial titled “Wikipedia at 25: The Place of
the Odia Language in the Age of AI”, focusing on the relevance and future
of Odia-language knowledge in the rapidly changing digital environment.
The series of activities highlights the efforts of the Odia Wikimedia community to expand awareness of Wikipedia, encourage new contributors and strengthen the availability of free knowledge in Odia.
