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Govt to issue an order to this effect by April 30 and pave way for wide access to Kannada content online

After dillydallying for more than three years, the state government has finally decided to make Unicode fonts compulsory in Kannada software. It will be issuing an order to this effect by April 30. This will pave the way for wide access to Kannada-based information on the internet.

Unicode is a global standard language for encoding, representation and handling of text used in much of the world’s writing system. Currently, people use software like Nudi, Baraha or Shree Lipi — which are all in ANSI code — to type in Kannada. This practice has led to problems. Kannada text typed in one software cannot be opened by other software. This apart, each software has its own keyboard layout. It is also difficult to upload ANSI fonts directly to the Internet. Even if one manages to upload ANSI fonts, the text is difficult to read online unless a conversion software is used. Hence, litterateurs, Kannada activists and bloggers have been pressing for Unicode fonts to be made compulsory for Kannada software.
 
The state government has been sitting on Kannada Software Development Committee’s draft policy — which proposes Unicode conversion among other things.
 
According to sources, Jnanapeeth Awardee Prof Chandrashekar Kambar recently forced the government to shed its lethargy by demanding that it set a deadline to make Unicode fonts mandatory. Acknowledging the government deadline, Kambar told Bangalore Mirror, “The chief secretary and Kannada and culture secretary have told us that the government will issue an order by April 30 making Unicode fonts compulsory.”
 
Kannada and culture department secretary B Basavaraj said, “It has been decided that KSDC’s draft policy will be placed before the state cabinet before it will be issued as a government order.”
 
However, the draft policy
will be issued as an order with slight changes. Basavaraj clarified, “Conversion is a major hurdle. All government records are in Nudi format and it would take considerable time and effort to convert all the records to Unicode format. We must chalk out a time table for the conversion of all records. Officials must be trained how to use the new format. All this would be included in the order.”
 
Once Unicode fonts become compulsory, the state government’s ambitious plan of creating an online encyclopedia called Kanaja, on the lines of Wikipedia, will get a shot in the arm.