Whoswhoindian.Com to be India's virtual encyclopedia

[Irfan Khan <khania@super.net.pk>]

Mar 26 2001 

Whoswhoindian.Com to be India's virtual encyclopedia


KOLKATA 

HOW many of us can actually recollect, offhand, the full name of film maker
Gulzar, N T Rama Rao, the year Dadasaheb Phalke was born or what is the
national tree of India. 

A 'unique' Website, launched by Whoswhoindian.Com portal would now take
care of the needs "helping one not to get lost in the quagmire of multiple
facts and figures and give only what he wants." 

The director of the portal Pawan Lohia said "it is a virtual encyclopaedia
of India and Indians which can be used as a point of reference for 150
subjects." Those browsing the site would not have to take the usual
labyrinthine route of using a search engine, typing the key word and then
end up with hundreds of site references, many having no relevance with the
subject at all save carrying same characters. 

Instead the search will give "filtered and processed information" about the
subject one wanted to learn and in the process help him save precious time,
Lohia said. 

Besides giving a brief account of the contributions of celebrities, in as
divergent disciplines as performing arts and industries, sports and
politics, each comprising 25 names on an average, the portal explored the
country under its Indiaprofiles segment. 

Lohia said surfers could zoom into any of the six categories 'physical
background', demographic background, historical background, cultural
heritage, mythology and national symbols within a minute and get the
reference materials in a processed manner. 

"We are attempting to cover India completely and the information includes
topics like culture, religion, political parties, industries, governance,
transport, education, environent, defence, science and technology,
judiciary, diplomatic activities, public sector," Lohia said. 

The contents would be updated regularly by a panel comprising research
persons, he said adding while the reference materials for a synopsis could
be gleaned from the site's own content, for more elaborate information on a
specific topic, 'URL' link could be made available to the respective
Website which specialised on the subject. 

"The portal aims at being a brief account of India on the Net and an
encapsulation of the major events happening in the country as well as its
illustrious sons and daughters in the past 100 years and peddle the
information in a systematic, alluring and phased manner," Lohia said. (PTI) 


http://www.economictimes.com/today/26tech07.htm