UNESCO Supports Nepali Font Standardization

Improved data transfer and a wide-range of computer applications in Nepali language are the main results of a UNESCO supported project to normalize Nepali "Devanagari" as the standard font for local language computing that was implemented by "Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya", a non-governmental organization based in Lalitpur, in Nepal.

In Nepal the Nepali "Devanagari" font (language) was utilized by some organizations while others used fonts such as 'Preeti', 'Kantipur' and 'Fontasy Himali'.  The various agencies had customized the software for their own institutions and there were no common standard in the country. The lack of standardization limited the transfer of data and information from one font to another because various fonts had to be downloaded and kept on each and every computer in order to open any document. 

"The lack of a standard font had discouraged the Nepali IT professionals from developing utility software such as a dictionary or a spell-checker in the Nepali language. There was too much work involved in customizing the software for each font currently in use" says UNESCO's Susanne Ornager.

On this background UNESCO supported the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP), a non-governmental organization promoting the use of computing in the Nepali language and the principal archives of books and periodicals in the mother tongue; to develop a standard font for Nepali.

The range of outputs generated from the project unlocked the possibilities for developing a wide-range of Nepali computer applications. But not only that, on the basis of this groundwork many applications and the operating system are now in the Nepali language.

Nepal already hosts a vibrant IT sector, which is determined to respond to the dramatic advances that are represented by the standardization of the Nepali Devanagari font. Amar Gurung, a representative of MPP, says  "It has to be said that the UNESCO support to MPP for this project came at a very crucial moment.  It was this support that made it possible for MPP to carry on its work regarding Nepali computing.  The development at MPP regarding Nepali computing and the font standardization was the main reason behind IDRC recently selecting MPP as the representing institution from Nepal for the Pan Asia Network Localization Project.  MPP will be utilizing all the experiences gained in its past UNESCO/CI projects to push the momentum of Nepali computing in the future".