Case of the Missing Killer App

The government, its agencies and corporate India have been

working to bring PCs and the Net closer to the average Indian. The Ministry of

IT runs the Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL) program, which,

in partnership with CDAC, developed graphics and intelligence-based script

(GIST) that has led to the creation of natural language tools.

Most e-Governance projects have a portal, which is meant to be

available in English and the local language of the state where the project has

been deployed. Portals of nation-wide projects, such as the Agmarknet, are

available in eight languages other than English. The non-resident Indian site (www.nriol.com)

lists about 60 vernacular news sites, and about 53 channels on various portals

catering to various language populations. MSN has five Indian language versions

of its portals, Yahoo is set to launch six such portals. Most matrimony sites

have vernacular language counterparts. Even Wikipedia has a Hindi edition-though

a very lean one at the moment.

Technology has also been constantly evolving. Trying to learn to

type in Hindi, or using onscreen keyboards has given way to intuitive typing.

And with constant development efforts on, using local languages on the computer

is only going to get easier and better. Now there are text-to-speech tools that

will read out the local language content-to help reach out to the illiterate

as well.

There are other efforts too being made. TDIL released CDs with

software tools and fonts for three languages in 2005, and is expected to release

CDs for four more soon. TDIL also has initiatives to include Indian language

representation in World Wide Web Standards. A working group set up by the

central government and Nasscom is trying to develop software in Indian

languages. According to this group, all 22 languages are expected to be covered

within two years.

Inspite of all these projects and pilots the growth rates are

sluggish. And the excitement muted. If everything is right what is wrong?

To get an answer imagine a reasonably prosperous business

person, say in a small town in Uttar Pradesh.

What can I do on the net? Local content-as distinct from local

language content-is sparse. My information and research needs are limited to

my geographical domain or my business area. I do not use a computer at my

workplace so I am not really conversant with the machine. I do not travel

frequently so I cannot book tickets on the net. My children study in schools

where many a time the teachers are not present-leave aside computers. I have

few people with whom I want to correspond on a regular basis so email is not

something that I will look at even on a daily basis. So why should I get a PC

and a broadband connection. For what it delivers to me it is far too expensive.

I can afford it. But I would rather get a second TV, a new

mobile, invest in the share market, save to build an extension to my house. The

PC is a great idea. But that is about all. If it was really cheap I may

experiment and get one for trying it out. But that is not the case.

And so I continue to wait for my killer app. The one that will

make me move the PC and the Internet connection to the top of my purchase list.

By the way-these questions are not mythical. I was asked these

by a small businessman in a small town as I waited for his workmen to repair a

punctured tyre on my car.

I did not have too many answers.

The author is editor-in-chief of CyberMedia, the publisher of

Dataquest. He can be reached at shyamm@cybermedia.co.in