My good friend Anindya (lifeselsewhere/lovesragpicker) has wanted to know how to make posts in Bengali.

While I am no expert, I can still share the process I used. I first wrote in MS Word format and then copy pasted it here. The software I used for Bangla writing is Avro which can be used for blogging as well as e-mails. The beauty of the software is you can write in Bangla and send e-mails in Bangla or make posts in Bangla and the reader can read without having the same software. Moreover, the software is freely downloadable so that procuring is hassle-free. It also has a phonetic English keyboard so that you do not need to know the inscript Bangla keyboard or any other Bangla typing keyboard to write/input in Bangla. You use the English keyboard and write Bangla phonetically. For example, if you want to write “Arjun” in Bangla you simply type “orrjun” – the typing rules are so simple that you can learn them in a few minutes using the help feature. For free download of Avro simply visit their site by clicking here.

You can also use Avro to directly write in Bangla in e-mails and blogs but then you may face a formating problem – that is, you will not be able to change fonts, point size etc, nor will you get other formating features such as coloring alphabets, highlighting text, making alphabets bold or italics etc. But if you first type out what you want to write in MS Word format then you can format at will and then simply copy-paste on to your e-mail or blog.

Although I am sure this will solve Anindya’s problem, still, in line with my irritating and quarrelsome nature, I would like to take this opportunity to raise a more general issue. Actually, not one but two issues – the first issue is that of Bangla writing on computers and the second, that of bridging the digital divide.

At present there are several Bangla writing softwares in the market and hundreds of Bangla fonts. Many of them are Unicode compliant as also compatible with most standard OS such as Microsoft Windows, Unix or Linux. But except for Avro I do not know of any other Bangla software which can be used to write in Bangla and which can also be read by the general reader not having the same software. For example, there is a software called Bijoy but readers can read only if they too have Bijoy installed on their computers. Moreover, as far as I know it cannot be used for blogging or e-mails. Microsoft provides a default Bangla option using the Vrinda font but it is hardly feature-rich and I do not know or have not been able to figure out how to write/input in Bangla using Vrinda without resorting to some standard Bangla keyboard such as Avro.

Besides Bijoy, there are several other softwares such as Bangla Word (it also has a free download option), Tanmatra, iLEAP (from C-DAC) and many others. I have used all the softwares whose names I have mentioned and my favorite is Avro because of the factors mentioned above. As far as I know none of the other softwares provide these benefits. So, for writing in Bangla I would strongly recommend Avro and since it is freely downloadable anybody can start using it within a few minutes of deciding to do so.

Now, my question is why are Bengalis having competence in software development or other non-Bengali software developers working with fonts and writing platforms not coming together to develop a standard Bangla/regional language software that can be used by one and all so that there are no compatibility problems? Why is writing in Bangla/regional Indian languages still such a huge problem? And, what is more galling is that even if you have writing software, in almost all cases except Avro, the reader cannot read what you have written unless he/she also has the same software installed. In these circumstances, why aren’t all developers interested in Bangla/Indian language writing coming together to work out a standardized Bangla/Indian language software that will work with all platforms and applications?

This brings me to the second issue of digital divide. While the setting up of common service centers throughout India under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) will go a long way to provide access to the Internet and general computing to most all Indians within the next few months (perhaps, within 6 months in case of West Bengal which is leading in implementing CSCs), the digital divide still cannot be bridged unless common people can access the knowledge/information on the Internet in their own language.

From my experience as an editor of a Bengali magazine on information technology, I know first hand that there are even software developers and IT professionals who want information in their mother tongue, who are more comfortable working in their own vernacular languages rather than English. Young people in rural areas of India will be immensely benefited once they begin to get information from the Internet in their own language.

To me this is a vital issue as I firmly believe that any major revolutionary social change requires that common people, the poor and the working class, have access to information through the Internet and are able to reap the benefits of modern information and communication technologies. As long as full or even partial use of all modern information and communication technologies remains limited to those who know English, this primary goal cannot be achieved. Hence, it is imperative that efforts are made to provide information and communication facilities in the vernacular. It is in this context that it is important that we develop computing in Bengali and other Indian regional languages. Right thinking IT professionals must take the lead in this effort.

Posts in Bengali can help this effort. So, happy posting in Bengali! And, three cheers to Avro!