Kannada writers want Indian languages on Kindle

Launch online campain by petitioning Union IT minister

Some Kannada writers have launched an online campaign by petitioning Union Information Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad asking him to make it mandatory for IT tool-making companies to embed Indian language interface in their gadgets.

In the petition, Kannada writer Beluru Sudarshana said a leading Kannada author had published an e-book in Kannada and tried to sell it through Kindle, but, unfortunately, Amazon India did not support Kannada in its Kindle tool.

“We request you to take steps to make embedding of Indian language interface and related tools (fonts, keyboard drivers etc.,) inside these text graphic interface based gadgets, mandatory for all IT tool making companies,” Sudarshana added.

Narayana Shastry, a supporter of the petition, said the local language support on gadgets will be a win-win situation for both locals and companies as they can sell more of their products.

If the use of electronic and IT gadgets has to grow manifold, then the ability to convey the content in all Indian scripts and languages is a must, said Anand Kankanhalli, another supporter. Sudarshana urged the Centre to issue suitable guidelines in this regard to all manufacturers.

“To make this happen, we urge you to form an autonomous governing body for supervising all the research pertaining to Indian languages which are public-funded or in public-private partnership. This way, we can reduce redundant and unnecessary work,” he said.

To an e-mail query, Kindle India spokesperson said, “Today, Kindle does not support any regional language in India. We continue to gather feedback from our customers about their preferences and are working tirelessly to deliver a better experience.”

“Amazon is passionate about books and is continuously working to improve the overall reading experience for both customers and publishers,” he added.