Free Software Foundation of India
FSF India
The Free Software Foundation of India, is a sister organisation to the Free Software Foundation. It was founded in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala in 2001,[1] as a non-profit organization.[2] The FSFI advocates to promote the use and development of free software in India. This includes educating people about free software, including how it can help the economy of a developing country like India. FSF India regards non-free software as not a solution, but a problem to be solved. Free software is sometimes locally called swatantra software in India.
In 2003, after meeting with FSF founder Richard Stallman, the President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam[3][4] urged Indian computer scientists and professionals to use free and open source software [5] in research and development.[6]
The FSF India Logo
The left side of the FSF India logo resembles the famed Ashoka Chakra, that also appears on the Indian national flag, while it's right half is a depiction of a compact disk. The combination of both symbols is intended to draw attention to the similarity between political freedom and free software, the latter of which the FSF promotes.
The Ashoka Chakra, in addition to being a long standing Hindu symbol of time, also resembles Mahatma Gandhi's charkha (spinning wheel) and thus in the current context, may symbolize the Indian independence movement which resulted in India's freedom from British occupation.
Structure
Board of Directors
- Nagarjuna G., Chairman
- Arun M., Secretary
- Anand Babu
- Ramanraj
- V. Sasi Kumar
- Y. Kiran Chandra
Working Group
- Abhas Abhinav
- Baishampayan Ghose
- Frederick Noronha
- Jitendra Shah
- Mahesh T Pai
- Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay
- Sasi PM
- Sayamindu Dasgupta
- Satish Babu
- Sunil Mohan Adapa
- Suraj
- Tathagata Banerjee
- Warren Brian Noronha
Webmasters
- Anivar Aravind
- Baishampayan Ghose
- Sayamindu Dasgupta
- Sunil Mohan Adapa
See also
References
- ^ FSF-I inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram by Dr. Richard M. Stallman
- ^ The What, Why and When of Free Software in India
- ^ Stallman Goes to India
- ^ Kalam, Stallman discuss open source software
- ^ Indian President Advises Open Source Approach
- ^ Opt for open source codes for better software security: Kalam
External links
- Free Software Foundation of India Home
- A LinuxJournal interview with FSF-India team members
- Slashdot and Hindu articles (dated 2002) regarding Stallman's visit to India.
- Slashdot and Hindu articles (dated 2002) regarding Dr. Kalam's endorsement of free software.
- A Blue-GNU interview: FSF India's Impact Far-Reaching