India’s Voice Recognized at Wikimania

Nairobi: In a proud moment for India and the Punjabi language community, Nitesh Gill, a passionate Wikipedia contributor from Punjab, has received an honorary mention at the prestigious Wikimedian of the Year Awards 2025. The recognition was announced by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales during the 20th edition of Wikimania, held in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme “Inclusivity, Impact, Sustainability.”

The Wikimedian of the Year Awards, hosted annually at Wikimania, celebrates volunteers from around the world who contribute to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Nitesh was selected from a global pool of nominees for her outstanding contributions to Punjabi Wikipedia and her continued efforts to improve the visibility of women on the platform.

A PhD scholar in Punjabi Literature, Nitesh began her Wikipedia journey in 2014 as a student and has since become one of the most prolific contributors to the Punjabi Wikipedia. She is currently the only woman administrator on Punjabi Wikipedia and a lead member of the Punjabi Wikimedians User Group, which has helped create over 58,000 articles in the regional language.

“I love my language, and that love motivates me to serve and contribute to it in every possible way,” said Nitesh.
“I want to break the myth that speaking your language makes you less intelligent. If you cannot respect your own language, in many ways, you are questioning your own identity.”

Her contributions go beyond numbers. Through initiatives like the #100WikiDays challenge, she has authored over 500 articles focused on women, helping bridge gender gaps in online knowledge. Today, Punjabi Wikipedia has more content about women than any other gender, a milestone she proudly claims as a personal and community achievement.

Nitesh has also played a vital role on the international stage. She helped organise WikiConference India 2023, WikiWomen Camp 2023, and the Wikisource Conference 2025 in Indonesia. She led the She Leads program, aimed at empowering South Asian women within Wikimedia, and co-developed a Punjabi-translated Oral Culture Transcription Toolkit in collaboration with Himachal University to preserve local heritage.

Wikipedia, one of the world’s top ten most-visited websites, is powered by over 260,000 volunteers writing in more than 300 languages, and viewed over 15 billion times each month. India remains a key contributor to this global ecosystem, with over 1 billion monthly page views and content creation in over 25 Indic languages—the highest representation from any single country.

Reflecting on her journey, Nitesh underscored the values at the heart of the Wikimedia movement: volunteerism, open knowledge, and collaboration. “The Wikimedia movement is not just about information,” she said.

“It’s about people. It’s about building a culture of sharing and legacy. And it’s about passing that culture to those who are ready to carry it forward.”