User:Hindustanilanguage/అహ్మద్ నిసార్
1. Can you please elaborate about yourself?
My name is Nisar Ahmed Syed (User name on Wikipedia: అహ్మద్ నిసార్ – Ahmed Nisar). I am a voluntarily retired (VRS) education professional. Now a Researcher, Academician, Social Scientist and freelance visiting faculty. My hobbies are writing short stories, travelogues, poetry (writing and singing), research reports on various topics, especially in Urdu & English languages.
2. Where do you come from? Tell us about your native place / places where you spent your childhood and teen years?
I am from Madanapalle, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, migrated and staying currently at Pune Maharashtra. My schooling was mainly at Madanapalle of Chittoor district. My Intermediate studies were also at Madanapalle. After getting one year diploma in teaching, I got the teacher job. My degree and higher education was through distance and private education. I have post-graduated in English and Urdu, and have a diploma and degree in education. In the year 2006 I have taken Voluntary retirement from the job by serving 22 years 7 months and 17 days.
3. How did you first discover Wikipedia?
In the year 2004, I registered at Sri Venkateswara University Tirupati to do my M.Phil on the topic THE IMPACT OF URDU ON HINDI FILMS (Poetry) as well as (intended) Ph.D., with the same topic THE IMPACT OF URDU ON HINDI FILMS (Prose). Then I came to Pune to do it so. I enjoyed the famous film library of NFAI (National Film Archives of India) in Pune to do my research work. While doing research, on Google search, I came across Wikipedia. I could find some important information on the same subject in the year 2005 &06. Initially I could not get what the Wikipedia project is. I thought that it is just an information giving site.
4. When did you realize that you could edit Wikipedia?
Later in the year 2007 I realized that, it is not just a site but a platform of a project where we can utilize the stuff and contribute too. Then I have started to contribute in Telugu and Urdu Wikipedia. Initially my user name was Ahmadnisar. But in the year 2009 I changed it to అహ్మద్ నిసార్, which fall me in difficulty about the edits in my Urdu wiki, as it is not counting the edits of my Urdu wiki with the user name Ahmadnisar.
5. What’s the most interesting thing you have used Wikipedia for?
I have used it to navigating the ocean of knowledge, getting information, that too with references. I have suggested many people, institutions and organizations to utilize the services of Wikipedia.
6. I saw on your user page and amazed by your diversity of interests. Can you elaborate more?
Yes indeed. I have started to write mostly on religions, philosophy, geography, politics and the languages. Even I never leave to create the pages like Universe, Galaxies and atom.
Initially I faced many problems in typing Urdu, later, comprehended up to editing and making changes. Still, I prefer to give technical issues to my colleagues to solve them or show the best solution, as I believe, I am to write articles, translation and take up outreach programs, rather to go deep into technical issues.
I was made Admin in Telugu, later I was advised to take up the responsibilities of Bureaucrat, which I softly denied. In Urdu wiki too I was given Admin responsibilities.
I Usually I have a belief regard to Urdu and Hindi language relations, Hindi is incomplete without Urdu and Urdu is incomplete without Hindi. If you want to develop Hindi Wikipedia you must develop Urdu Wikipedia and vice versa.
7. What’s the most interesting thing you have used Wikipedia for?
Research and reading, while reading a book I refer Wikipedia on the same topic to get a different point of views. And I used Wikipedia as a tool to bring knowledge to the people, which is the motto of Wikimedia movement.
8. You were very active on Telugu Wikipedia and are very proactive on Urdu Wikipedia and almost contribute and present there all the time – How do you balance your work life and Wikipedia edits?
As I said earlier that I am a voluntarily retired educationist, and had been associated with education and teaching for more than two decades, and I am a computer savvy too. I am a visiting faculty now, I am usually invited by some institutions and academies to give lectures to their staff. I usually use PPTs for teaching purposes in the class rooms, on different topics. Hence I use to refer Wikipedia to comprehend more on the topics which I have to teach. So I became friendly with Wikipedia and Wikipedia too. And in many instances I contributed too.
And I say, don’t go to my edit count, see the articles I wrote on diversified topics, that too the content contribution and development.
9 Do your near and dear ones support your Wikipedia pursuits?
Nay… I prepare myself to encourage myself to edit on Wikipedia. Luckily, I could find sufficient time to edit Wikipedia. And I have to spend time to write my other research works and poetry too.
Most importantly I would like to mention here, most of my friends bring their problems before me to find solution particularly related to social services, for that I have to have spare my time to write petitions, representations, requests, programs, etc. for these too I have to spare time, otherwise I cannot justify my social part.
09. Urdu and Telugu Wikipedias are generally a friendly community, mostly free from conflicts. Tell us more about it.
Urdu Wikipedia is a friendly community. There were some issues in the past but the community came over it. Telugu Wikipedia is also one of the finest communities of Wikipedia in the world. It never compromised on part of quality. There are few misunderstandings which are common at a work place. It is true that I am a little away from Telugu Wikipedia for the past ten months, but only due to mere concentration on Urdu Wikipedia, and a little on Hindi Wikipedia too. Still I have a warm connections will my Telugu community. My friends use to call me a multi-lingual Wikipedian.
10. Tell us a bit of your role as admin of Urdu Wikipedia.
I do tasks that will help in improving the articles like templates and categories. Guiding new users. Fixing thing missing things in the pages, and other admin tasks.
11. Number of Active Urdu Wikipedia users far less compared to Urdu Speakers in the world. In your opinion what is the main reason for that?
Speakers of Hindustani Language (Urdu / Hindi) are approximately 330 million 4.70% of the whole world population. Urdu speakers are 125 million (65 million in Pakistan and 60 million in India - 2014) which makes that 11th biggest population of speaking a language. There are multiple socioeconomic reasons for less active users on Urdu Wikipedia. But I believe that use of so called “Roman Urdu” is the biggest hurdle, which is used to text on mobile devices. I have noticed a misconception that Roman Urdu users think that Urdu keyboard would be very difficult for typing.
Now we are steadily increasing in the number. Even from India. During the 2007 and 09, I have seen two Urdu Wikipedians from India, probably Samarqandi and me. Now the number has grown from Indian Urdu community. Muhammad Shuaib from Nagpur, Muzammiluddin Syed from Hyderabad, Rehan Kausar from Kamti Maharashtra, Fairoz Urdu wala from Kerala, Satdeep Gill Charan Gill Gaurav Jhammat from Punjab, Imam Qasim Saqi from Kadapa, Abdul Ghani Kaunen from Punganur, me and yourself from Hyderabad. Hope, at to the end of this year Indian active Urdu Wikipedians number may reach to more than a dozen, which is a great achievement.
12. How do you feel crossing the number of edit marks?
I personally opine that the number of edits not matter for me, rather number of articles that too qualitative articles matters. I have always given preference to create quality and larger articles in both Telugu Urdu and Hindi Wikipedias. My contributions to Hindi wiki too cannot be neglected, I am ambitious to contribute to Hindi too, provided I can get good collaboration with Hindi friends. One Mr. Khurana and you too, have been quite co-operative, I hope I can do something to Hindi wiki with his collaboration.
13. What are your future Wiki goals and ambitions?
Like to bring more and more users to Urdu & Telugu Wikipedia, annual Wiki meetups. Starting Dakhni Urdu is one of my strong ambitions, provided I shall get source editors. Further I strongly believe related to Hindi and Urdu Wikipedias. Hindi and Urdu Wikipedias are inter-dependents, Hindi cannot be completed without completion of Urdu and vice versa.
14. Have you participated in offline Wiki events (meetups, editathons, etc)?
Yes, number of offline Wiki events, In Sri Sankaracharya Sanskrit University Regional centre Koyilandy Kerala, NCPUL Study centre, Trivandrum Kerala, Urdu Academy Delhi, Masarrat Weekly office, Abul Fazal Enclave Delhi, these are few places where I have conducted mini workshops and meetups and awareness programs. I am planning prepare a roadmap and submit to WMF to facilitate us to provide assistance to conduct workshops and awareness programs. In regard to Telugu I have participated Vijayawada decennial celebration in the month of February 2014, where I had been awarded KLR best Wikimedian of the decade award.
15. What other Wiki projects do you patronize?
Mainly it is Urdu and Telugu Wikipedia, other than that I have around 500 each in English and Hindi Wikipedias. Commons and Meta are the next.
16. How do you see the role of Urdu Wikipedia vis-à-vis other Wikipedias?
For the comparison sake ONLY Urdu Wikipedia is on No. 61. In fact as a team effort in 2014 we were able to bring the Urdu Wikipedia from No. 90 to the current position. I personally compare Urdu Wikipedia with Arabic, Persian and Hindi Wikipedia, and I believe that we have a long way to go.
17. Can you elaborate a bit on your Telugu & Urdu Wikipedia colleagues?
When we talk about Telugu Wiki, I say Viza Satya, Sujatha, Venktramana, Arjuna Rao and Sulthan Khader, are among the sophisticated and excellent contributors. In Urdu, Shoaib Muhammad, Tahir Mahmood, Obaid Raza, Ameen Akbar, Usman, Fairoz Urdu Wala and Muzammiluddin are eminent contributors, though many, but few I have mentioned.
In both the teams (Telugu & Urdu), I found sound technical expertise.
18. How practical do you feel is the recent plan to bring together all Persian-script based Wikis (languages of India and Pakistan)?
This is one of my goals to bring the Persian Script based Indic Language wikis for Instance, Urdu, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Dakhni Urdu together. (This is my ambition to create Dakhni Urdu Wiki).
19. What is the scope of expansion of other Wiki-projects such as Wikiquote and Wikibooks in Urdu?
I have a stronghold dream projects of my own for Urdu Wikipedia. Among them digitization of few libraries with the help of IEG or some other project sources and to create source to write articles in Urdu Wikipedia. The talks are going on with few institutions like Ibn-e-Sina academy of Unani Medicine Aligarh for digitization of their library books on Unani Medicine. I strongly believe that these kinds of projects will definitely help to do some better work.
Apart, I and Mohammad Shuaib and you too are of the team, are planning to hold few workshops on Urdu Wikipedia at different places. If our dream comes true, we can give a source to Urdu Wikipedia to increase the Users and ultimately quality articles.
20. What is your message for new Wikipedians?
Most of the Indic languages are at the threshold of threat of extinction, among them, though in a longer period has a threat. In regard to safeguard the language and bring the common usage of the same in the public is a must. Take an example, in Andhra Pradesh, a huge number of Telugu speaking population is opting English as a medium of instruction. The government, private and corporate schools are also encouraging it. It will one day lead to a corner of extinct. Urdu is also sailing in the same boat.
But one specific and peculiar thing I want to pour light on, that is the Urdu speaking population of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a major part cannot read or write Urdu but can listen and speak. The same number of part can listen and speak Telugu but cannot read and write. In other words, the Urdu speaking population is not fully literate in either the languages.
It is a matter of fact and a point of jeopardy too, that the Urdu language experts (one who completed their post graduation and doctoral studies) are not well versed with current knowledge. Even there are no Urdu experts who are well versed in the modern sciences and technologies. And even regret to state (and I never hesitate to state so) that the Urdu doctoral students even un-comprehensive about the parts of speech in English. They need expertise classes to come out of these problems. I am sure Urdu Wikipedia will definitely help them to come out of this crisis. No more usage of Romanized Urdu may help Urdu. My aim is not to see the situation for Urdu, where Turkey saw after Kemalism for Turkish language.