Effective Use of IT Is Absolutely Necessary to Preserve a Language: Experts Opine at First World Odia Language Conference

Bhubaneswar: Odia is the oldest language. The culture, heritage and tradition of Odisha have created a unique identity across the world today. Hence, the effective use of information technology is absolutely necessary to preserve the language. At the same time, more research is need to spread the Odia language in the world using various modern technologies, opined the experts during a session titled ‘Odia Language in the Age of Information Technology: Opportunities and Future’ at the First World Odia Language Conference 2024.

Presiding over the discussion, eminent IT expert Senthil Shankarsubramanian gave the example of Sarala Das and said that the glory of the Odia Language lies in its preservation. He appreciated the various steps taken by the state government towards the propagation of Odia language.

Participating in the discussion, Rekha Acharya, chief of ISG, said that the present age is the age of ‘AI’. With the use of modern technology, the Odia language can be converted into English and other regional languages in a very short time. There is a need for the application of artificial intelligence to improve data and technology in Odia. In the next few years, overcoming all the obstacles, the Odia language will become the language of information technology, Acharya said.

Similarly, Dr. Shailesh Kumar, Chief Data Scientist at the Centre of Excellence in AI/ML, Reliance Jio, explained that language is the sixth sense and spoke about the evolution of language. He said that now the definition of artificial intelligence is changing, there will be a revolutionary change in the coming days and the Odia language will reach the top level using information technology.

Bijendra Kumar, Partner, KPMG India, said that since only 10 percent of people in India have the ability to communicate in English, there are many barriers in acquiring knowledge in the Odia language. More reliance on English language is influencing the Odia language. Therefore, he said that collective efforts are needed to spread regional languages more using modern technology.

Vivekanand Pani, co-founder of Reverie Language Technologies, said that language gaps are constantly being observed in the online world. Also, the absence of Odia information is being observed on the internet. Therefore, he said that it is necessary to address it for the development of Odia language.

As a student speaker, Ratik Kumar Panda discussed various aspects of using information technology for the development of the Odia language.

Principal Secretary of Electronics & Information Technology Department Manoj Kumar Mishra has felicitated the guests.

Special Secretary of E&IT Department Manas Ranjan Panda, OCAC CEO Manoj Kumar Patnaik, several intellectuals and college students were present on the occasion.