आयो नेपाली

FROM ISSUE # 166 (October 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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नेपाली युज गर्नु पर्छ  reads my friend's messenger nick. It wasn't long ago that little boxes, technically 'garbage', appeared in place of Devnagari script. But thanks to the Nepali Unicode Program, nowadays you stand a better chance of seeing the script as it is meant to be.

Developed under Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya's 'Font Standardisation Project', the Unicode is not only a tremendous help to offices across Nepal but is also helping educate millions of rural Nepalis.  

Even though personal computers have become essential utilities for us, computer usage is still very low and ownership even lower in Nepal as a whole. Cost is the primary limiting factor and language a major bottleneck.

Why use Nepali? 
Language is the only inconvenience holding back many prospective computer users in Nepal as English is the pre-dominant language as far as computers are concerned. But the interface in Nepali has without doubt boosted the use of computers. Says computer engineer Atit Paudel of Shanti Griha Computer Institute, "Students find it exceptionally easy to use computers in Nepali; what would've taken them weeks to understand and memorise, takes minutes." The institute has been teaching young students to use operating systems in remote places like Humla, Syangja and Dolakha.

Why standardize Devnagari? 
For instance, one kg is equivalent to five pau  in Kathmandu, but the same kg is equivalent to four pau in Birgunj. The problem is the lack of a uniform standard. A pau more or less may not be very serious, but a similar lack of standards in computers can be disastrous.

"And the solution is Unicode", says Basanta Shrestha, a software developer. The common standard for all Nepali fonts, Unicode presents Nepali writing as it is instead of as illegible characters, no matter what the font is when sent or received.

How good is Unicode? 
Current scripting standards like XML, JavaScript, WML and all others support Unicode. The advantages can be put in three short phrases: platform independence, program independence, language independence.

How easy is it?
The phonetic features of MPP's Unicode has made using Devnagari script much easier. Their romanised keyboard allows users to type the alphabet depending on the letter sounds. Unlike earlier, where the hassle of finding each character slowed people down, modern users can simply type Sa for ; and A for c and so on.

Nevertheless, Nepali language is still used solely for documenting, especially in government offices and media houses. But using Nepali language for all aspects of computing isn't entirely feasible as it is not just limited to typing but to something much more global – the Internet.   

Download Nepali Unicode Program: www.mpp.org.np

*Vikash Pradhan