BharatVani, India’s First & Biggest Multilingual Dictionary Is Now Online; Will Support 100 Languages

Under ‘Digital India’ mission, Indian Government has created nation’s first and largest multilingual dictionary, access to which is completely online. Named as BharatVani.in, this dictionary can right now translate words from 22 different languages, and is and in the coming days, Government aims to add 100 more languages into the platform.

The app was launched by Union HRD Minister, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani at Lucknow, wherein she said that BharatVani has been launched under PM Modi’s Digital India mission, and it will help to showcase the tradition and culture of India to the outside world; and it has the potential to bring in a vernacular revolution inside the country.

This ambitious multilingual dictionary project is being implemented by The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL).

BharatVani App Launched As Well

Interestingly, Govt. has also launched an app of this dictionary, which can be downloaded from Google Playstore.

Right now, this app is being supported by 35 multilingual dictionaries, which would be expanded to 250 dictionaries in the coming days. Users can seamlessly translate words from one language to the other, besides understanding the meaning of the words.

Content would be published in the app under the following 6 main sections:

1. Paa Thyapustaka Kosha: Which will have online textbooks by various authorities
2. Jnana Kosha: Which will encapsulate encyclopedic knowledge base from 22 different languages
3. Shabda Kosha: Which will showcase dictionaries, glossaries and terminologies
4. Bhasha Kosha: Language learning books
5. Suchanaa Praudyogikii Kosha: All forms of IT tools shall be available here for learning and understanding languages ( right now linked to TDIL)
6. Bahumaadhyama Kosha: Various forms of multimedia content would be uploaded

Objectives of BharatVani

The Government has determined 4 main objectives of launching BharatVani online dictionary:

1. Under Open Knowledge movement, this dictionary shall be the single point reference for understanding and learning various languages of India. It has been hailed as the first and largest multilingual dictionary in India
2. Using technology, Government shall protect and nurture regional languages from India, and enable easy access to the online tools for learning them
3. Such online dictionary shall help India to ‘foster national integration’
4. This first initiative of Indian Govt. to encapsulate regional languages will help Indian technology companies to integrate regional languages into their products and creations.

BharatVani certainly promises to be a revolution when it comes to learning, understanding and appreciating various regional languages of India.