Wikimedia Foundation elections/2021/Candidates/Raavi Mohanty

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Raavi Mohanty (Raavimohantydelhi)[edit]

Raavimohantydelhi (talk meta edits global user summary CA  AE)

Candidate details
Wikimedian Raavi Mohanty
  • Personal:
    • Name: Raavi Mohanty
    • Location: New Delhi, India
    • Languages: English, Hindi, Oriya, Punjabi
  • Editorial:
    • Wikimedian since: 2015
    • Active wikis: en.Wikipedia, Commons, hi.wikivoyage.org, en.wikiversity.org, en.wikivoyage.org, pa.wikipedia.org, hi.wikipedia.org, Wikidata, Mediawiki, Meta.Wikimedia, (13 Projects)
statement (Not more than 450 words) In the words of Malcolm X, "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." Technology has brought human civilization to the cusp of an information revolution, the internet has made sure that access to quality education is not a monopoly of the elite or the predisposition of the moneyed class. It is time that the fruits of technology should go down to the poorest sections of society. I firmly believe that Wikipedia can play a huge role in it.

Education is the linchpin for modern society. One needs to learn about culture, history, and other important aspects so that they would be able to contribute to a peaceful co-existing society without biases based on gender, race, or religion. In a country like India, education is indispensable for achieving gender parity and upliftment of women. Access to free education can empower people by making them aware of their rights, give them knowledge of their civil and economic rights. In India, the exploitation of uneducated people is heartbreaking.

Free education is essential to create a modern and global society. Wikipedia articles can teach people about the history and culture of various countries around the globe. If people learn about each other's cultures and history it would usher in a model world for us and posterity.

The internet presents an excellent opportunity to make a borderless world. At present we are the first generation that is in a position to exchange ideas at a people-to-people level at such a mass scale. Ideas can now flow from one part of the world to another in a matter of minutes. The idea of democracy, human rights should now flow to the most inaccessible parts of the world. Moreover, these ideas can the transferred in a transparent manner.

Being a Wikipedia editor gives me an opportunity to contribute something back to society. The more I interact with people in various parts of the country the more I realize my biggest contribution to the upbringing of the downtrodden would be in my ability to take knowledge to every single individual, without any barrier of language. If more writers from the regional languages would come on board the faster would are goal be reached. Free universal education is the biggest gift to posterity. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Top 3 Board priorities 1. Topic related to Skill enhancement should be given more focus.

2. Videos or illustrations should also be given, so that people with less education can understand better.

3. Focus on topics related to local demands, e.g. easier access to information on Coconut (that includes, history, nutritional value, verities, market demand, etc.) should be mentioned.

Top 3 Movement Strategy priorities 1. I believe that everyone should have access to free knowledge.

2. More women-centric topics should be added to Wikipedia.

3. More wiki writers writing in regional languages should be inducted.

Verification Verification performed by elections committee or Wikimedia Foundation staff.
Eligibility: Verified
Verified by: Matanya (talk) 20:43, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Identification: Verified
Verified by: Joe Sutherland (Wikimedia Foundation) (talk) 01:22, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Trustee Evaluation Form
Trustee Evaluation Form
Years of Experience
<1 1–2 2–5 5–10 10+

Wikimedia experience. The candidate is a dedicated contributor to the Wikimedia movement. Eligible contributions include: contributions to the Wikimedia projects, membership in a Wikimedia organization or affiliate, activities as a Wikimedia movement organizer, or participation with a Wikimedia movement ally organization.

5-10

5-10 years of experience, I have been with Wikimedia Movement since 2015. I contributed thousands of quality edits globally in English in 13 Wikimedia projects. My maximum contributions are in the Wikipedia project in the English language and have been honored with BarnStar, BarnCompass, and Barnstar of National Merit. Besides, I worked on articles for Indian regional languages. Always I tried to discover missing information in our projects. Participated, supported, and organized the WMF International conference in India. Tightly connected with Hindi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and other communities. Successfully conducted Tiger project in India to train and engage new editors. Also implemented outreach programs in institutions.

Board experience. The candidate has served on the board of trustees/directors or other similar governing body of a nationally- or globally-focused organization (non-profit, for-profit, or governmental).

10+ Years

I have 25 years of golden experience as Director, & CEO in an SME in India. Managed many technical, financial, and operational strategies until retired. Worked on the govt projects collaborated with the world's topmost IT brands like Google, Intel, IBM, & Dell. Implemented several AI, & ML technologies across the world. Experienced in making strategies and roadmap to build a working system.

Executive experience. The candidate has worked at an executive level for an organization, department, or project of comparable (or greater) size, complexity, and scope to the Wikimedia Foundation.

Yes, I worked with many small projects to gear up education, digital or internet-based training programs for rural people.

Subject matter expertise. The candidate has worked or significantly volunteered in an area relevant to the work of the Foundation and the Board. Such areas will be determined on an annual basis and may include areas such as Global movement building and community organization, enterprise-level platform technology and/or product development, public policy and the law, knowledge sector (e.g., academia/GLAM/education), human rights and social justice, open Internet/free and open source software, organizational strategy and management, finance and financial oversight, non-profit fundraising, human resources, board governance.

IT - Over 20 years of experience in software development, Server Integration with over 5 years of experience in AI, ML, and NLP kind of application development and implementation.

Managed hundreds of corporate clients following Indian Company Acts and policies. Executed several facilitation centers and brand awareness campaigns across the world.

Volunteered in Govt educational project Vidyanjali with Intel corporation. Educated tens of thousands of students in India.

Under an Indian project Umeed, implement a non-voice contact center to empower rural Indian people locally. Provided IT education and certification with scholarships to all deserving students.

Diversity: Background The candidate belongs or belonged to a group that has faced historical discrimination and underrepresentation in structures of power (related to, for example, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ identity, social class, economic status, or caste).

No

Diversity: Geography The candidate would contribute to the overall geographic diversity of the Board of Trustees, based on the geographic regions where they have lived.

Yes

But, I work globally.

Diversity: Language The candidate is a native speaker of a language other than English.

Yes

Diversity: Political system experience The candidate has substantial experience living in and/or working to share knowledge in a non-democratic, state-censoring, or repressive context.

No