Talk:Community Resources and Partnerships/India Rapid Project/Wiki Loves Assamese Culture 2025

Follow-up questions on your application

Latest comment: 15 days ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Hope you are well. I am the programme officer supporting the review process for rapid projects in this cycle. Thank you for the care and thought you put into the application. Based on my initial read, I am sharing a follow-up question that we'll like to have more clarity on.

1) a) Could you provide more elaboration on what you/ the team have in mind about "well-known and lesser-known aspects of Assamese culture". This is so that we have a better understanding on the scope of your project. b) You mentioned "attire, crafts, festivals, music, dance, cuisine, and rituals", which has a very wide scope. Do you have a curated list of what aspects of each category you are planning to cover? And how do you plan to do this? We need more specificity. Here are examples of applications which may hold some similarities to parts of your project.

2) Re response to question 7 in your application, could you provide a project timeline?

3) Re response to question 8 in your application, could you provide more details on your (and your team's) current/ past experience in carrying out a similar project? How do you plan to ensure quality of the documentation and that that descriptive narratives and metadata for the documented content is factually accurate? Could you share a shortlist of partners that you plan to work with within and outside of the movement?

Thank you for taking a moment to respond. There may be further questions from the South Asia Regional Funds Committee as your project moves through the review process.

Regards, Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 08:56, 23 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

1) a and b

Latest comment: 12 days ago3 comments2 people in discussion

Hello,@JChen (WMF) Thank you for your queries. I have updated the application, and I would like to provide some clarifications for your questions 1.a and 1.b below:

A)

Here's a detailed breakdown of the phrase "well-known and lesser-known aspects of Assamese culture"

Well-Known Aspects of Assamese Culture

These are elements that are widely recognized both within and outside Assam, often considered symbols of its identity:

Traditional Attire and Symbols: Mekhela Chador, Gamosa, and Japi(traditional bamboo hat).
Festivals and Celebrations: Bihu and its associated folk music and dances.
Cuisine: Dishes like Pithas, Jolpan, Assam Tea, and fish-based delicacies.
Classical Arts: Sattriya dance, recognized as one of India’s classical dance forms.
Handicrafts: Muga and Eri silk production, bell-metal craft, and bamboo artifacts.

Lesser-Known Aspects of Assamese Culture

These are unique or localized cultural treasures that are not as widely recognized but equally significant:

Tribal Cultures: Unique weaving patterns and textiles of tribes of Assam
Folk Music and Instruments: Mising, Bodo tribe folk songs, Tokari Geet, Zikir-Zari songs, and instruments.
Folklore and Legends: Stories of local deities, and folklore surrounding Assam.
Culinary Diversity: Tribal cuisines, fermented foods (Khar, Tenga, and bamboo shoot dishes)
Natural and Architectural Heritage: Majuli Island (world’s largest river island), Charaideo Maidams, and the Ahom-era architecture.
Ethnic Art Forms: Traditional masks used in Bhaona performances and the art of manuscript writing on Sanchi (palm leaves).

B)

The Assamese Wikimedia community, with over 30 active members, plans to select individuals based on their interests to serve as group mentors and local representatives. These members will form groups and focus on different districts within or beyond the movement's reach. Their task will be to document the cultural aspects of their assigned areas, which will include at least 2 audio files (folk songs and folk stories), >5 photographs related to traditional crafts (terracotta, bamboo crafts, masks, muga and paat silk crafts), traditional musical instruments, and festivals celebrated during the project period, such as Bohag Bihu.

To prepare for this initiative, a one-day in-person training session will be organized to guide participants on proper documentation techniques and ensure high-quality contributions. The collected works will be reviewed for quality, and exceptional contributions will be recognized with awards.

After completing the project, a finale award ceremony will be held to celebrate the participants' achievements. This event will also serve as a platform for discussions between new contributors and experienced members to plan and collaborate on future projects. Nayan j Nath (talk) 15:21, 24 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Hello @Nayan j Nath,

Thank you for your response.

Could you include your responses to questions 2 and 3 on this talkpage for clarity?

Thank you.

Regards,

Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 13:50, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Hello @JChen (WMF),

2)Project timeline: We will invite interested participants, particularly newcomers, through social media and newspaper advertisements from May 5 to May 15, 2025. Following this, we will host a training program between June 1 to June 5, during which participants will be assigned districts based on their convenience. The fieldwork will officially begin on June 10, with participants uploading their contributions to Wikimedia Commons over the course of 20 days. Finally, an award ceremony will be held 15 to 20 days after the completion of the fieldwork.

3) This is the community's second attempt at applying for a Rapid Fund, and we acknowledge that we may lack extensive experience in such processes. Currently, I, along with two team members, am working on two Wikimedia projects: Indic Orel Culture and a pilot project titled Wiki Loves Documentation - Assam Chapter.

To ensure the quality of the photographs and Audio collected during the project, we plan to invite three experienced Wikimedians from the Indic Wiki Photography Club to serve as judges. Their expertise will help maintain high standards and provide valuable insights into the evaluation process.

To ensure the quality of documentation and the factual accuracy of descriptive narratives and metadata for the documented content, we plan to implement the following measures: training through subject-matter experts with in-depth knowledge of Assamese culture, regular monitoring by team members to oversee the process, utilizing Wikidata for metadata structuring and cross-verification, and defining structured metadata templates with key fields such as origin, significance, historical context, creator/artist, and usage. Nayan j Nath (talk) 14:02, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Eligibility Checks by Project Administration Team

Latest comment: 12 days ago4 comments2 people in discussion

Hello @Nayan j Nath,

The WMF Project Administration team has flagged that you have an open project - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/Rapid_Fund/Wiki_Loves_Documentation_%E2%80%93_Assam_Chapter_(ID:_22816542)

Please note the eligibility criteria (source: Community Resources and Partnerships/India Rapid Project#Eligibility requirements)

* The total fund amount an individual can access per fiscal year (e.g. July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) is up to USD 10,000. Individuals can have one open Project Proposal at any given time.

We will require that you submit the final report of your open project before we can proceed with approving this project.

Thank you.

Regards, Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 13:59, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Hello @JChen (WMF),

Could you please elaborate on the process? Should I mention it after submitting the report for the current project, or will the team update the status for this project automatically? Nayan j Nath (talk) 14:25, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Hello @Nayan j Nath,

Once you have submitted the report for the open project, could you also send me an email (jchen@wikimedia.org), so that I can prioritise the review of your report?

After your report is accepted, we will be able to move forward with the approval of this project.

Thank you.

Regards,

Jacqueline JChen (WMF) (talk) 14:28, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

@JChen (WMF), got it. Thank you so much! Nayan j Nath (talk) 14:33, 25 January 2025 (UTC)Reply