KHINJILI, Sep 19: A two-day workshop-cum-training programme on ‘Digital Archiving, Linguistic Tools and AI Applications in Linguistic and Cultural Research’ concluded at the RIWATCH Conference Hall, Khinjili, in Lower Dibang Valley district on Saturday.
The programme was jointly organised by RIWATCH, the Council for Diversity and Innovation (CoDIN), Delhi, and the IKS Division of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The workshop brought together research scholars representing 16 tribes from three universities of Arunachal Pradesh—Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh; Arunachal Pradesh University, Pasighat; and Arunachal University of Studies, Namsai.
The inaugural session and workshop orientation was chaired by Dr MS Awan, Centre Head, RCML (RIWATCH Centre for Mother Languages). He highlighted the importance of integrating technology and innovation into contemporary research practices, particularly for documenting and preserving linguistic and cultural knowledge. RIWATCH Director Vijay Swami emphasised the importance of institutional and infrastructural preparedness for specialised academic programmes.
The first day focused on ‘Foundations of Digital Documentation and Data Management’, combining theoretical sessions with practical activities. Dr Kombong Darang, Assistant Professor, APU Pasighat, conducted a session on ‘Documenting Language and Culture Visually: Audio-Visual Tools in Documentation’, introducing participants to methods of visually documenting linguistic and cultural materials.
The second session, ‘Collecting Language Data in the Field’, was led by Dr R Karthick Narayanan, Executive Director, CoDIN. It focused on linguistic fieldwork methodology and systematic elicitation, followed by practical group activities.
The second day was devoted to ‘AI-Assisted Language Documentation’, with hands-on sessions on digital and artificial intelligence tools for linguistic and cultural research. The sessions were jointly led by Dr Ritesh Kumar, CEO, UnReal TecE and Director, CoDIN, and Dr Karthick Narayanan. The programme provided participants with practical exposure to emerging technologies in language documentation, digital archiving, data management and cultural research.
The organisers said the workshop also contributed to strengthening technology-assisted research infrastructure at RIWATCH and could support future academic initiatives, including the proposed University of World’s Ancient Traditions, Culture and Heritage (UWATCH).