Indian Language Content and Publishing Today

Abstract

The demand for online content in Indian languages (IL) is growing faster than for that in English. The proliferation of cheap smartphones with Indic keyboards and high-speed connectivity is feeding this trend. Moreover, there is increasing formal and informal collaboration between English and IL publishers to make educational and literary content available in regional languages. This currently is not financially viable or scalable and follows the logic of the print (rather than digital) economy. The government is focused on online content delivery as part of a larger Digital India programme. In the absence of IL content in the higher education arena, it must work with private players to develop quality technical and scientific content. Indian-language publishers need to be included in this process via training and incentives, since they have regional networks for effective outreach with this content. The biggest role of the government, however, is in the arena of regulation with the updating and implementation of intellectual property (IP) and copyright laws that need to extend to digital content; as well as in creating an environment where quality educational content is incentivized.