Google woos Kashmir, starts search engine in Koshur

GLOBALLY LOCAL : Google has initiated a search engine in Kashur — also known as Kashmiri.

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New Delhi: Kashmiri is a language that is spoken but rarely written. Google has now made it easier to access the written word.

There are fifteen languages on the Indian currency note. Google has initiated search engines in all these languages and now they've introduced another one to their list — Koshur. That's Kashmiri to you and me.

Businessman Ishfaq Mir, is on the net most of the day. No big deal! But what is a big deal is the language he recently started surfing with. Google's latest venture has brought a smile to his face. But he says there is lot more to be done.

“As of now, we reckon the language has taken a back seat. The government should do more, like including it as part of the curriculum. That has been suggested for the past three decades,” Mir says.

“Kashmiri students will read and understand much better in the Kashmiri script. Also, all the world's knowledge can now be translated into Kashmiri and put online. That's brilliant.” Chief Librarian, Kashmir University, Riyaz Rufayi says.

Google Tool has a virtual keyboard with 30 alphabets and various variations. You can log onto www.labs.google.co.in, select Kashmiri as your language, add it to your Google page and start exploring the World Wide Web in Kashmiri.

And though there are many web search pages in different Indian languages on the web, for Kashmiri, Google's page is a first.