[Isis-users] ABCD and Unicode in Indian context

[Hussain KH]

I am Hussain KH, retired scientist, Library and Information Division,
Kerala Forest Research Institute.



I was a devotee and  user of CDS/ISIS since 1985. In 2004, together with
Dr. Raman Nair (former librarian of Mahathma Gandhi University) I designed
MISIS (Malayalam ISIS) and produced a bibliography of 22,000 titles in
Malayalam script. It was a successful experiment, perhaps the single-most
attempt in Indian languages  in the ASCII era using a special Malayalam
font designed for the purpose. The attempt has no relevance today since
Unicode Language Technology has unveiled an entirely new scope for
information systems in local script. In this scenario ABCD has a great part
to play in Indian sub-continent even though KOHA is gaining ground among
libraries.



Correspondence with Mr. De Smet Egbert reveals that ABCD v2.0b in Debian
Linux fully supports Unicode but to be configured to individual languages.
He also points out that Devanagari script has been successfully
experimented.



In this context, I think  users and experts of ABCD in India should  know
each other, correspond and work together for Unicode compliance for all
Indian languages. It is very necessary for the implementation of ABCD in
libraries in Indian context since, for example,  even a small village
library in Kerala keeps books from many languages like Malayalam, Hindi,
Tamil, Kannada, Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, etc, besides English.



I can contribute to this end for Malayalam and Tamil languages. I am
contributing to Unicode Malayalam and  designed free fonts Rachana and
Meera for Malayalam and ‘Meera Tamil’ for Tamil language.



- hus
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