The Bhasha project is a collaboration between Nokia Research Center, Bangalore and four of India’s key design institutions. Bhasha aims to identify ideas and designs that will encourage the use of Indian languages on mobile phones, and as the result possibly make users more literate in their native language through casual learning.

Student teams conceptualize ideas for mobile applications and incrementally present them to mentors at Nokia Research Center, who then help to guide the projects in a manner that suits their design and business objectives. Srishti has three teams participating in the Bhasha project: Surmi meaning pencil, Lafz meaning words, and KacchaLimbu meaning rookie.

Lafz is working on a mobile application, Kushi, for mothers and children who live away from each other because of work constraints. Kushi aims at facilitating an experience of playing while learning, Khushi provides three different interactive modules which include poetry, cooking and storytelling.

Surmi is designing Pitara, a mobile solution that facilitates the transfer of vernacular knowledge from one generation to another through storytelling. In Pitara users record stories in their vernacular language and upload them to Pitara for other users to listen to.

KacchaLimbu is designing a mobile game that aims to help migrant students adjust to their new city and language. In KacchaLimbu users are given scenarios and asked questions that help them gain an understanding of the language through real life situations.

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