Guwahati: A team of students and faculty members from Tezpur University (TU) have developed a mobile app for writing Bodo.
The app, named “Demsi”, is available on the Google Play Store and makes typing Bodo convenient by suggesting possible words when the user types the first few letters of a word.
It can be used with existing software such as WhatsApp, Instagram, email, etc, said a statement issued by TU.
The development of the app was started by Sudem Daimari, an MTech (IT) student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE).
He was later joined by Dr. Nayan Basumatary, an alumnus of the CSE department and Chairman of the Sub-Divisional Board of Tribal Development, Tezpur.
The app was further developed by Prof. Utpal Sharma, also from the CSE department, and Sujal Kumar and Manash Pratim Lahkar, students of BTech (ECE) and PhD (CSE), respectively.
The app was launched by Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University on Thursday.
Prof. Singh said that the app would help to popularize the Bodo language, which is one of the prominent languages of Assam.
He said that more than 3 million people in Northeast India speak Bodo as their native tongue and that the app would make it easier for them to write in their own language.
Prof. Utpal Sharma, one of the developers of the app, explained that it works by using a misspelling checker and word suggestion system.
He said that the app is designed to be user-friendly and that it can be used by people of all levels of proficiency in the Bodo language.
Dr. Nayan Basumatary, another developer of the app, said that it is one of the first apps of its kind for the Bodo language.
He said that the app is a valuable tool for Bodo speakers and that it will help to promote the use of the language.
The app launch ceremony was attended by members of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, the All Bodo Students Union, and students from Darrang and Tezpur colleges.