The Kannada version of Vokal, a knowledge sharing platform in vernacular languages, was formally launched in Mysuru on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, the platform’s founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka said Vokal, which seeks to provide answers from experts to questions by users, is aiming to serve vernacular Internet users.

It is also available in 10 other Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Odiya, and Assamese.

With most information on the Internet is available in English, Vokal seeks to serve the requirement of vernacular audience in the country, which has begun accessing Internet through smartphones.

“Anyone who doesn’t know English in India has a huge problem of accessing relevant answers to their questions. Their Internet experience is poor with a dearth of meaningful content,” said Mr. Aprameya.

“The smartest minds in the country answer the questions. This gives unparalleled access to a common man to the best minds that have subject matter expertise,” said a statement issued by Vokal.

Vokal is also the first Indian question-and-answer platform to enable audio and video answering.

A statement claimed that the platform has 2 million monthly users. The founders chose to formally launch the Kannada version in Mysuru, which is also the cultural capital of the State.

“Users get to choose from 10 or more interests and can follow creators around these. Users ask a question: in their local language, either through a voice message or a text. This is then answered by an expert. Experts are vetted, verified, and approved before they can start answering questions on the platform. Experts can also conduct live video sessions, allowing for greater interaction and knowledge dissemination,” the statement said.

More details can be obtained form their website https://getvokal.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 09th, 2019