If you have Hindi as a default language on your computer or cell phone and felt left out by not having a similar alternative to emojis in Hindi, then here’s a good news for you a Delhi University professor has made it possible to have a range of “Himojis instead of emojis” for India in Hindi.
Aparajita Sharma, an associate professor of Hindi at Miranda House, has developed an application which will cater to the emotional demands of people using Hindi language on their cell phones and computers.
So far, applications across the world have been developed with a variety of emoticons in the form of smileys and stickers, used on social networking platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook but Sharma has “filled the void” for those who were “expressionless”.
“No matter which language people converse in, the true emotions are always expressed in their native language. Himoji is for people who speak in Hindi. There are some expressions, which cannot be translated in English or even if we try, the essence is lost,” Sharma told The Pioneer.
Sharma said every small occasion in India is a festival, celebrated across communities. “We have a long list of festivals. From Karwa chauth to Makar Sankranti; holi to lohri; and Pongal, we have created a sticker for all.”
Besides Himoji for “Holi Mubarak” and “Pongal Mubarak”, Hindi expressions for surprise, shock, excitement, amusement and ridicule are also there. “Dhat teri ki...siyappa hogaya yaar” are some of them.
Getting Himoji on the smartphone is just a click away on Google Play Store and the application has already been downloaded by 20,000 users. There are 280 stickers in Himoji so far with 14 categories.
Sharma has taken help from her husband Bhaskar Karn, who teaches at Moti lal Nehru College and knows calligraphy. “We have tried to use our creative skills and make something attractive. We launched a special category for Holi,” she added.
For motivation, Sharma has “shabaash”, “bohat ache” for birthday “janamdin mubarak”.
Targeting the crowd who is high on cricket fever, the team is going to launch a category of expressions for the upcoming Indian Premier league.
Sharma has initially started with 15 stickers as a trial on Facebook but after receiving acceptance, she was “motivated” to launch an entire application.
“I received good response from my friends and I realised there was a need for something like this. But I did not have logistics to do it. It was the Itechline4u Company who came forward to give support. We were divided into two groups creative and technical and I am doing creative designing. We are motivated to take it to another level now,” Sharma expressed.
She credits Miranda House for helping her with the launch of the application. Her aim is to inspire students of Hindi, in her college and across, about the “reach of Hindi”.
“I want to tell them that Hindi is not dying but its reach is growing each day. It is not restricted to literature only but you can explore career options in the field of technology also,” the Himoji developer added.