Meet Mr. Ratilal

A beacon and a pioneer in the field of Gujarati Lexicography

A man whose interest in computing emanated from converting the manual typewriter into electronic. A journey which started thus, led him to realize a dream of twenty years of compiling an online Gujarati Lexicon with aim to preserve the rich Gujarati language for posterity and create future linguists. Congratulations, Ratibhai, for Gujarati Lexicon and for accomplishing the project which will fulfill the lexicographical and other language related needs of future as well as present generation of Gujaratis. RL: Thanks, I have completed the project, but I took many years to do that. I have put lot of labor in it. However, now I feel happy that my goals are achieved and my ambitions and my dream are virtually realized. Now the material I have compiled is available on our website http//www.gujaratilexicon.com

Please tell us about the recent developments at Gujarati Lexicon.

RL: The recent developments are, we have distributed 10,000 Free CDs with Chitralekha, and the stock was exhausted within 4 Days. Some thousands more CDs are being distributed free in UK, US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Africa and India. In May 2006, the hits on the website have crossed 4 million, the media review has appeared in all leadings newspaper and magazines, and we have a strong support from Gujarat CM Shri Narendra Modi and GIL. Technological developments include, website improvements - we are going to add Gujarati literatures articles to site. Database is also updated regularly and suggestion are taken care for improvement in quality. We are refining and improving the Spell Checker, the Help Guide, and the Digital Dictionary.

This indeed is a matter of great joy to all Gujaratis. Your determination to keep on working on this project is very significant. We are eager to know about your interest and journey through this all.

RL: When I returned to Kenya, East Africa, I got engrossed in my business where all communication was done in English, but my affection for Gujarati remained intact. How can I forget Gujarati? After all, it was the language which was deeply rooted in my heart. I had its cultural significance in my mind. So, I thought would it possible to employ modern technology to type in Gujarati as we do it in English? To start with, I was interested in converting the manual typewriter to an electric one. This was some twenty years back. I went on exploring this for about two years, but all in vain. Then, computers came with excellent facilities for graphics, which was almost impossible in typewriters.

Twenty years back? To start something from scratch at the age of sixty, is a tiresome effort; did you ever feel disappointed, did you ever feel like abandoning the project at any stage?

RL: I never abandon any project once I take it on. I always feel that if there is any problem, there will be its solution too. But, look, sometimes failure comes with a new lesson in how to success. That happened in this case also.

Indeed. Please tell us how did computers help.

RL: We got computers but without Gujarati fonts on them. So I started searching a company which could devise Gujarati fonts for me. I contacted many companies, and discussed with them the possibility of devising Gujarati fonts. I also came to India, met with the experts too, unfortunately, they were not sure about the marketability of those fonts and I did not find them very keen on devising Gujarati fonts. The print media were also not interested in undertaking designing Gujarati fonts…

So you came back to the same place from where you had started, right? How did you start using computer to type in Gujarati then?

RL: My nephew taught me how to operate a computer. And, with some practice, I was able to type fairly well. But again this was all in English. I wanted to have Gujarati fonts on it. In other words, I wanted to work on Gujarati, and in Gujarati. So once again I started searching for a person who would devise Gujarati fonts for me.

And then you must have found the person in India, we believe?

RL: No, after many unsuccessful attempts, I found a French lady, who was ready to do that but her fonts were incomplete. Interestingly, I discovered Madhu Ray, who was creating Gujarati fonts independently. I bought them from him and found they were user friendly. I was comfortable with his keyboard mapping.

But what lead you to work on dictionaries and spell checker?

RL: As I went along writing Gujarati on computer, I realized the problems of spelling errors, and that I have a Gujarati spell checker! I traveled a lot, wandered tirelessly and consulted many. I realized that Gujarati spell checker can be written. So, I took up the issue with giant software companies. I also published many articles in various periodicals and consulted some professors interested in Hindi, but all in vain. We started taking help from Gujarati people, and after going from one person to other, and searching, finally we went to Boston and then to Pune, to meet with people who were working on Gujarati fonts but none was able to spare time for our project.

In spite of being short of a strong work force , you took on hand the dictionary project single- handedly, What prompted such a spirited move?

RL: At that time, India was conformable with the Linotype System, so nobody was ready to work on my keyboard. Ultimately I decided that I am the only one who can help me. So, I took the work in my hand. In the meantime, I had already transferred Gujarati words, which were relevant to the spell checker, into a digital form. I went on working on that.

How did the first dictionary develop?

RL: With help of Jayesh Patel and Harshad Patel, we first entered words from Pocket Dictionary of Gujarati published by Vidhyapith and then we entered words form its Regular Dictionary. Interestingly, my secretary and my drivers also participated in it. In the meantime, through the persuasion of Suresh Dalal and Harkishan Mehta, Madhu Kotak, the Editor of Chitralekha, extended his support. He made us available the old material of his magazine. In the mean time, Swami Asang of Pune successfully designed a method of transferring that material on my key board. Thus the data base required for developing a spellchecker was increasing. But again the source exhausted, so we decided to add additional words from Bruhut Jodani Kosh.

Was the project complete after entering words from all dictionaries?

RL: When the work was nearing completion, we took on hand English to Gujarati Dictionary. We did this keeping NRI's in our mind as they would first think of an English word. I often think that if means can be devised to convert Gujarati fonts into transliterated Romanised Gujarati, future generation of Gujaratis abroad can read Gujarati. Swami Asang, an expert in computer, advised us to convert all data into Unicode. The experts of my Trivandrum firm undertook this huge work and completed it wonderfully.

Where there is a will, there is a way. You had ups and downs and yet you persevered.

RL: Yes, you are right. But let me say more about the downs than the ups. At times I was out of breath. I was getting on age. Two years ago I had undergone a By-pass surgery in London. That strained my resolve and my patience too. I had crossed eighth decade of my life. However, I was determined to see that the project gets through during my lifetime. On such occasions many of my friends affectionately encouraged me. Not only that, they also gave me moral support and helped me in keeping up my spirit. I am really thankful to them.

Ratibhai, you are about to launch Digital catalogues of the Jain Manuscripts at the British Museum, by Hon. Prime Minister of India. We would like to know about your involvement with Jainology, and the work done there as well.

RL: As I am writing this, I am preparing to depart for Delhi for this launch under my Chairmanship. The Institute of Jainology http//www.jainology.org/ (IoJ) was established following the first International Jain Conference held in London in 1983, when the need for an organization to coordinate Jain affairs internationally was recognized. It has a Board of Trustees that is composed of nine members who share the various project responsibilities. Our objectives are – 1) Provide a platform for interaction 2) Promote inter-faith relationships 3) Create an awareness of the history, art, philosophy 4) Provide opportunities for study.

And what now? What are the future plans of Gujarati Lexicon?

RL: Our only heartfelt desire is that the project contributes in the development of Gujarati language, and it serves the needs of Gujaratis here and abroad. We can only assure that we are fully committed to continue our efforts to update and improve the project. The chief aim of Gujarati Lexicon is to preserve the rich Gujarati language for posterity and create future linguists. We want to be the focal point for all technology related developments in Gujarati Language. We plan to create a Gujarati World Heritage Centre - a centre for excellence in Gujarati Language which will work on, text to speech software, OCR, digitalization of Gujarati classics, translations and more.

That is excellent! Please tell us your views on - how to encourage the new generation for Gujarati language?

RL: We have to know where the new generation is. It is important for us to understand the new generation and redefine ourselves for them. The work has to be presented in the way they consume English Language. We have to have global packaging for our language. That is the prime reason that we have created this dictionary. If language has to attract the new generation, it has to be computer-ready. Today's youth will not read ancient manuscripts or classic novels but will definitely be interested in reading Gujarati blogs or articles on websites. They will be willing to access Gujarati dictionary and SMSes in Gujarati now. Then the love of language will definitely take them over. Our mother tongue has that magic and power!

Lastly, Is there any message that you have to share with the language computing community?

RL: The single message that I would like to share with language computing community is to come together and work in close synergy. There are many great individuals and organizations working passionately for the language computing. But there is not enough sharing, no coordinated and systematic approach, policy / strategy agreement etc. Unless this happens everyone will be reinventing the wheel and achieving piecemeal results. I invite all to come together, work together and win together. The vision is bigger than all of us! Also, writing and reading Gujarati Language on Internet is a cumbersome process today. Ease of use, user friendliness etc is of key importance ad the community needs to focus on that. Unicode is the answer and our all work supports Unicode very well. We are recommending all Gujarati Newspapers, Magazines and Websites to move to Unicode format. We believe that using Unicode will lead Gujarati to default language for all Gujarati people on Internet.

Ratibhai, What is your feedback on BhashaIndia?

RL: BhashaIndia is one of the best projects of Microsoft. It is really a great forum for Gujarati and other Indian languages. It has the perfect balance of information for both technical person and a layman who wants to work with Gujarati on Windows platform. BhashaIndia Forum is also encouraging people to share their views in Gujarati and build a community.

Thank you, Ratibhai. You have set an example of the popular Gujarati saying “mann hoye tau malave javay” (if there is a will there is a way). BhashaIndia wishes you all the best!