56th Foundation Day of CIIL

Mysore/Mysuru: Prof. Girish Nath Jha, Chairman of Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), New Delhi, emphasised on the planned study of regional languages of the country, by utilising modern technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) effectively.

He was delivering the keynote address on the topic ‘Recent Trends In Natural Language Processing In Context of Large Language Models’ on account  of 56th Foundation Day celebrations of Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) at its Preview Theatre in city yesterday.

“In India’s multilingual context, there is a need for extensive linguistic studies. Our regional languages are powered by tradition, with a treasure trove of knowledge. In this wake, we have to be careful in implementing the plans and research related to the language in the country forming multiple languages, as the development of AI is largely dependent on the language data in the country” said Prof. Jha.

Of the six wings of Vedas namely, Shiksha (Phonetics), Nirukta (explanation), Vyakaran (Grammar), Chhanda (Vedic meter), Jyotisha (Astrology) and Kalpa (Ritual Canon), four are related to the language. All the channels of language are dependent on language and hence there is a need for analysis and recording the visuals along with the documentation of the language, making it easier to co-opt the technology, he added.

He also informed that CSTT has undertaken a project to compile a dictionary related to science and technology in different languages in the country, including Kannada, Hindi and English. The Professors of degree and engineering colleges representing different States have been roped in for the task of finding synonyms for English words used in Science and Technology related subjects and provide suggestions in this regard.

Neeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, Government of India, launched CIIL’s online book portal.

In her presidential remarks, Neeta Prasad said, unlike what was in practice 20 years ago, there has been a remarkable changes in the methods of teaching, learning and the pattern of study. The next 20 years also promises vast changes, that prompts linguistic experts to handle the challenges capably.

The manpower comprising best researchers, linguistic experts and translators, are set to play a pivotal role in preparing the country for the future. CIIL also holds the responsibility of contributing a relevant system. National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 propagates primary education in regional languages. In this wake, the CIIL’s contributions in documentation of languages of the country, development and research, hold the key, asserted Neeta Prasad.

Col. Yuvraj Malik, Director of National Book Trust, India, delivered a talk on ‘Knowledge Text in Indian Languages: From Production To Distribution’.

CIIL Director Prof. Shailendra Mohan, Deputy Directors Prof. Umarani Pappuswamy and Prof. P.R. Dharmesh Fernandez, CIIL Officers-In-Charge Dr. Narayan Kumar Choudhary and Dr. Sujoy Sarkar were present.

Online book portal

CIIL has launched online book portal https://store.ciil.org where all the books published by CIIL are available. The online payment system is also available, along with home delivery system. The books related to 497 topics and published in over 100 languages of the country are available on the portal, said Dr. Narayan Kumar Choudhary.