Remember Pierre Curie & Marie Curie ?........Go back into history around a hundred years & get overjoyed with the memory of both the scientists. A husband Pierre & a wife Marie, both with extra-ordinary brilliance, had one thing in common – a vision. A vision for the common mass --- DO SOMETHING WITH WHICH THE MANKIND COULD BE BENEFITED. Had they not had such vision they could not have achieved those outcomes of their researches that still have been torching the light to our modern methods of cancer’s treatment.
The names of Abhishek Choudhary & Sweta (Karwa) Choudhary transpire the same vision along the lines of Pierre Curie & Marie Curie - & also similar to a number of great personalities worldwide who had a common vision of mass welfare.
It was only a few days ago when I suddenly stopped – during the course of my usual surfing of internet – at a particular site as my eyes had captured a word of my interest among its listings. The word was ‘HINDAWI’ & my being a ‘HINDUSTANI’ i.e. an INDIAN was but a normal cause behind my getting attracted to that word. I can not deny I was thrilled to have gone through the details of the matter therein --- supplemented with some more details on a few relevant sites.
Before furtherance, I would like to give a turn to my views & to make you remember an event occurred sometimes ago bearing a vital substance. Mr. Bill Gate (of Microsoft Corpn.) had an opportunity to meet our visionary President (erstwhile) Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, popularly known as ‘missile-man’. An outright failure was evidenced when Mr. Gate could not convince him of the priority of proprietary over open source development of computer-software. Rather, Kalam showed his earnest interest towards encouraging – even from the governmental platforms - the versatile software engineers working selflessly for the mass cause. This news had not made me surprised. No one who knew even the least about Kalam could be. An outlook that was centrally aimed at profit-generation, this way or that, was likely to be dejected as compared to the selfless efforts of a handful of youths who are addicted to dreaming high for the mass welfare & convert their dreams into wonderful realities.
So, the real issue is of “ vision ”. Kalam has this. He remains to be an inspirational source for crores of our youths who are determined to make this country a developed one within a time-frame of 2020 in spite of numerous hurdles. It is but a great vision with them that keeps them away from luxurious lures of foreign money. They feel contended in living a simple life on their own soil – though working for entire mankind.
Coming back, Abhishek & Sweta are indeed among those of our youths – with a vision. They have done wonders. They have literally brought a ‘revolution’ in the computer-world. With the result of their efforts now every such person who is not knowing the English language would be able to develop software in his/her own mother-language. Be careful, it is a different thing. Certainly not that that is available in the market using which you are able to work in your own language. Mind it, the programming language (of those softwares) is always English even if you are working in your mother-language. What does it mean ? It means you are confined to take benefit from that software only in a pre-determined frame-work. You can’t amend or modify it to your desired need. Had this (programming-language) been written in your own mother-language you could have done so.
Nevertheless, you could have succeeded in developing absolutely new softwares as per need of the time. Similarly, you could have become able to reach new heights of the computer-world competing anyone in the world.
Do they have any say about their vision ? See, what they say, “... Let us think of our brothers and sisters who have not been privileged enough to go to English-medium schools. Even they have a right to benefit from the ICT revolution." Enough !
For their project named as ‘HINDAWI’ they have been honoured atop (on 15.02.08) with FOSS INDIA AWARD 2008 sponsered by National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Software (NRCFOSS).
Enchanting ? Don’t you feel you too as a citizen of this country are required, amidst their vision, to encourage them for their great mission ? I have deliberately left many a things to share as I think the things of your part should exclusively be done by yourself. As far as my part is concerned, firstly, I have started feeling proud of them and, secondly, have started as well to make it widely known to others in different possible ways. This is also aimed at inviting them to get benefited from this work i.e. from HINDAWI. For your reference and access (towards downloading the same) I am illustrating below a few of the relevant sites if you so think fit to browse on. May you kindly suggest if I could do something else ?
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/24867/news.htm
http://www.indiaenews.com/pressrelease/20080217/98282.htm
http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/information-technology/200802167408.htm
http://www.openitis.com/openitis/project_view.php?id=128
http://www.stockholmchallenge.se/data/2475
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Abhinav
