Itanagar, Aug 4:  With the acceptance of  the Wancho Unicode to the Universal Script Project (USP) / Unicode Consortium, a long cherished dream  of the indigenous Wancho Community of Arunachal Pradesh is finally going to be fulfilled.
Credit will go to Wancho script developer Banwang Losu who has toiled hard to reach the goal. The proposal was submitted way back in March 2017 by a team comprising Banwang Losu, Stephen Morey, Michael Everson, Andrew Cunningham and Debbie Lotz. The work was financed by the US National Endowment for the Humanities. The Wancho Unicode font developed by Banwang Losu and Dipangkar being now accepted will give the Wancho language a recognition in the international arena.
The acceptance by Universal Script Project indicates the opening of a window to access the script on the  internet and social media. Online educational material can also be accessed and distance education in Wancho language will also be available. This is the  first independent script in Arunachal  ever accepted by USP officially and the fonts are developed by local software expert Dipangkar Baruah of Naharkatia, Assam who interestingly had no  formal  institutional  training. 
Losu, a school teacher had been pursuing  the efforts  for the development of the script  after realising  the unique sound and importance for its  preservation.

The Tata Steel Corporate Social Responsibility, acknowledging his contribution had supported the cost of study materials production under one-year fellowship. The mission to expand and educate the Wancho script has been taken up by Wancho Literary Mission which has opened the  Sedan Nursery School at Kamhua Noknu under Longding District. Newsdesk

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
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