BHUBANESWAR: Issues like digitisation and regular value addition to the existing Odia Encyclopaedia volumes were discussed at the two-day national seminar on ‘Encyclopaedia Making’ that concluded on Sunday. The seminar was jointly organised by Utkal University of Culture and the Jnanamandal Foundation with support from the Information and PR Department to mark the birth centenary of late noted Gandhian and educationist Binode Kanungo. There are as many as 40 volumes of Odia Encyclopaedia on various subjects like popular science, literature, linguistics and there is a proposal for creation of another 60 volumes. The seminar was attended by eminent writers and educationists who stressed on the need for digitisation of the encyclopaedia like the Wikipedia and releasing the educative material online for easier access to students. “This apart, there is a need for regular update and value-addition to the existing encyclopaedia as a lot of knowledge banks in various subjects are being created everyday,” said Amiya Kumar Pattanayak, VC of Utkal University of Culture. He said that even as there are plans by the Government to create 60 more volumes on various topics, a final decision is yet to be taken. “Creation of new volumes requires a lot of money and research. We have submitted the proceedings of the seminar to the Government and it will accordingly give the work to either the Culture varsity, Jnanamandal Foundation or Information and PR Department,” the VC said. He said University of Culture has so far been focusing only on visual and performing art chapters that somehow left the literature segment in the Odia Encyclopaedia. “Therefore, we feel satisfied to complete this section of Jnanamandal encyclopaedia that was assigned to us in June 2011,” Pattanayak further said. Earlier on Saturday, inaugurating the seminar, Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra went down the memory lane and recalled how the encyclopaedia Jnanamandal was initiated by Kanungo. I&PR Minister Surya Narayan Patro, who is also the president of the birth centenary celebration committee, emphasised on the uniqueness of the Odia encyclopaedia Jnanamandal. “The I&PR Department will undertake cinema and other productions as a tribute to the maker of the encyclopaedia,” he informed. Eminent linguistic of Central University, Hyderabad, Prof Panchanan Mohanty, Prof Sabita Pradhan of Santiniketan, MP Baisnab Parida and Jnanamandal Foundation secretary Pabak Kanungo attended among others. ‘Bicharadhara’, a book written by Binode Kanungo, was released on the occasion. Besides, a music cassette named Sarthaka Sadhana, dedicated to Kanungo, a freedom fighter, writer and social reformer, was also unveiled.
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