Mgc, it was heartening to read about your long-term vision to bring Hayai to the villages of India. I think bringing internet connectivity to those of us who aren't yet there (that's around 90% of the country) is going to be the next big revolution, like what happened with mobile phones. And its not only going to change the lives of millions, its going to make the internet change in a substantial way too. If we get anywhere close to even 40%-50% penetration, the major bulk of internet users in the world will be us and China.
Some of our state governments are already taking their first steps towards this long-term goal. The present government in Tamil Nadu has already started giving out free
laptops (manufactured by IBM,
Lenovo and
HP) to all government-aided higher secondary school and college students. They plan on distributing ~ 9 lakh laptops this year and ~ 68 lakh in all, over the next four years.
The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : TN Govt
As you can imagine, these laptops will be fitted with basic softwares, but also with multimedia and educational material ( career guidance, subject-oriented study material and basic computer knowledge) tailor-made for this group of students. As of now, the government is soliciting ideas for this, and as soon as some are finalized, they will be incorporated into the laptops, or given to the students on CDs.
Proposals to bring internet connectivity to all these people are also being considered. I guess they'll be starting with something like the cheap 256 kbps BSNL plan for 99 a month, and though most of us find this laughable, its still a start. For people who would have never imagined having a computer to themselves till a few months back. It'll be nice to see Hayai reaching these people, even if it only happens 5 or more years down the line. Everyone with a computer deserves better than a crappy 256 kbps connection.
If this project succeeds, it might inspire other state governments to introduce similar schemes down the line.
I'm personally waiting for the day when major parts of rural India are connected and there are services and products being delivered to them on the internet. The possibilities are enormous. Finally, we will have a place for Indian languages on the internet; any number of social networking sites like Vkontakte in Russia or Renren in China will be possible, considering our diversity, and if businesses will have to reach this user base, they'll have to speak the local languages. The world will come closer to a segment of India that has had little to no exposure at all so far. And with the integration between internet and cellphone connectivity and everything else already happening at such a dizzy pace, there's no guessing what else will become possible.
----------------
I guess a logical next step after this level of penetration is achieved, would be things like free internet for all, which can be accessed in most important public spaces, starting with railway stations, government offices, bus-stops, schools, colleges etc.
