GURUGRAM: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, today shared observations from Myra, its Gen-AI powered Trip Planning Assistant, pointing to an emerging behavioural trend in how Indian travellers are beginning to interact via voice. While Myra’s user base is still growing and now delivers more than 50,000 conversations daily, the initial data suggests that voice is beginning to enable a more expressive, contextual, and linguistically inclusive form of travel discovery, one that is different from how users search via text.

How Voice and Text Queries Are Beginning to Diverge

Even in early usage patterns, the contrast between how users type and speak their travel intent is visible. The majority of text searches are in the neighbourhood of 3-4 words, compressed and keyword-driven, such as “Goa hotels cheap” or “Delhi Mumbai flight.” Voice queries are beginning to look considerably different. Nearly 23% of voice queries exceed 11 words, compared to just 7% in text, as users tend to naturally articulate destination proximity, amenities, budget, group size, and dates within a single spoken interaction. For instance, “Show me affordable hotels in North Goa near the beach with a pool” or “2 adults and one kid, 3 nights from 14th January, budget under ₹15,000 per night.”,

Across several query categories, early data points to voice being used noticeably higher than text. Date-specific queries show the most pronounced difference, at 3.3x higher on voice, with users naturally saying “26th December to 29th” or “next Friday to Sunday” rather than typing compressed date formats.

Informational queries, where users are looking for guidance or explanation around certain processes or services, are indexing 2.7x higher on voice, suggesting that users are beginning to turn to conversational assistance for questions beyond transactional search. Examples include, in Hindi, “सऊदी का वीज़ा कैसे मिलेगा?” (How to get a Saudi visa); in Kannada, “ಜಪಾನ್‌ಗೆ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮೊದಲು ಯಾವ ದಾಖಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಿದ್ಧಪಡಿಸಬೇಕು?” (What documents should be prepared before going on a Japan trip?); in Marathi, “कोल्हापूर ते दिल्ली जाण्यासाठी कोणती ट्रेन आहे व किती दिवस लागतात आणि ती कोणकोणत्या वारी असते?” (Which train is available to travel from Kolhapur to Delhi, how many days does it take, and on what days of the week does it run?); in Malayalam, എനിക്ക് ആനയിൽ നിന്ന് കൊച്ചിയിലേക്കുള്ള തത്കാല ടിക്കറ്റ് തിങ്കളാഴ്ച ഉള്ള ടിക്കറ്റ് ആണ് വേണ്ടത്. അതിന് വേണ്ടി ഞാൻ എന്താണ് ചെയ്യേണ്ടത് (I need Tatkal ticket from Anai to Kochi for Monday. What should I do for that?); and in Tamil, “வீல் சேர் எப்படி புக் பண்ணனும்னு சொல்லு?” (Tell me how to book a wheelchair?).

Location-specific queries account for 25.1% of all voice searches and index 1.5x higher on voice than text, with users naturally expressing proximity in phrases such as “near beach,” “walking distance from Golden Temple etc. Similar patterns are visible across languages. For instance, in

Bengali, “হ্যালো মাইরা এটা এই হোটেলটা গুয়াহাটি রেল স্টেশন থেকে কতদূর” (How far is this hotel from Guwahati railway station); and in Telugu, “గోవా బాగా దగ్గరలో తక్కువ రేట్లు మంచి రూమ్స్ కావాలి” (Need good rooms at low rates very close to Goa).

Voice Is Opening Up Travel Search Across India

One of the more telling early signals in the data is how voice is beginning to enable users to search in the language they naturally think and speak. While English dominates text searches, voice interactions are considerably more linguistically diverse, with English representing far lower % of voice queries. The gap points to something simple: users who are most comfortable in their own language are gravitating towards voice. For example, for Malayalam, voice trumps text by 46 to 1; for Tamil, this ratio is 36:1, and for Telugu, 32:1.

For users who found typing a barrier, the shift is less about technology and more about expression. Voice lets them describe exactly what they want, in their own words, without compression. Code-mixed users, who blend Hindi and English, are among the most expressive in early observations, averaging 10.5 words per query. A search like “Manali mein 3 nights ke liye hotel chahiye with mountain view and breakfast” captures nuance and preference in a single breath, something that text search has rarely accommodated.

“What we are beginning to see through Myra is encouraging. Voice is starting to give a new set of users, those who are most comfortable in their own language, a more natural way to search and plan travel. For someone in Kochi or Coimbatore who thinks in Malayalam or Tamil, being able to simply speak their requirements, rather than type them in English, changes the experience meaningfully. It is still early, but these initial signals point to voice having the potential to make travel planning more inclusive and accessible across India,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

Premium Travellers and Multi-Constraint Queries

Early data also points to premium and elite traveller segments using much longer sentences while using voice on Myra, often combining star category, amenities, group size, and budget into a single spoken request. For example: “5-star villa in North Goa with private pool, 6 bedrooms, for 8 adults under ₹50K per night.” While these highly layered, multi-constraint queries represent a smaller share of total searches, they offer an early indication of how voice may be better suited to capturing complex travel intent than keyword-based text search.

MakeMyTrip has been deeply invested in AI and machine learning for several years, embedding intelligence across the travel lifecycle.  From inspiration and discovery to search, booking, and post-sales support, AI is integrated at every stage. These proprietary models, built on large language architectures and rich travel-intent data, power Myra. The AI Trip planning Assistant now facilitates over 50,000 conversations daily across multiple languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and English. More than 45% of queries on Myra are coming from Tier-2 and smaller cities.

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The MoU will include taking forward the collaboration for the teachers training program (DLL -Deutsch Lehren Lernen or ‘learning how to teach German’) conducted by Goethe-Institute and will benefit those studying MA German at SPPU’s foreign languages department and aspiring to become German language teachers.

The MoU also extends to various activities related to arts, culture, and literature. The German section of the SPPU foreign languages department will participate in various activities by Goethe-Institut and will also help reach a wider audience.

Markus Biechele, Director of Goethe-Institut Pune said that Pune has a rich legacy of German language learning and presents a lot of career opportunities for students and in turn boosts Indo-German friendship and collaboration. We are extremely happy to partner with SPPU, this marks a significant moment for us.

Dr. Swati Acharya, Head, of the Department of Foreign Languages, Savitribai Phule Pune University said that the pilot program of DLL was started in 2021 and more than 100 students have benefited so far. This MoU is a logical next step in the long cooperation and very fruitful work that both institutions have been doing together is an extension of ongoing collaboration between the two and paves the path for a sustainable partnership and cooperation. We already have courses in didactics for our MA students. We will officially incorporate many aspects and components of ‘DLL’ in the MA program which is conducted for four semesters.  Apart from this selected number of students will be offered scholarships by Goethe Institute, Pune for select courses.

Alicia Padros, Deputy director and head of language department Goethe-Institut Pune said that there is a growing demand for German teachers in Maharashtra. Also growing number of students who decide to study German want to become teachers. So, this is the right time to consolidate the program and formalize the collaboration. It is here in Pune where German as a foreign language began 110 years ago. It was the first place where German was taught. At Goethe- Institut we always look for partners and collaborate with those who want to learn German as a foreign language. All our activities are based on partnerships and mutuality.

Markus Biechele, Director of Goethe-Institut Pune added “As the globally active cultural institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, we advocate for understanding between Germany, Europe, and the world.  151 Goethe-Institutes in 98 countries (in India: 6 institutes) together with numerous partner institutions form the basis of our global network. With a wide range of educational and information programs, we support in particular students and skilled workers from abroad on their route to Germany.”

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PUNE: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), a world-renowned pioneer institute of oriental studies, has taken one more step in enhancing its online platform ‘Bharatvidya’. In Maharashtra, BORI has received several frequent queries about the availability of IKS course content in Marathi. Given this need and demand of the student, BORI is launching a separate course on its online learning platform ‘Bharatvidya.in’ which will provide lecture courses in the Marathi language.

This was announced by Bhupal Patwardhan, Chairman of the Executive Board of BORI in a Press Conference held at the BORI Campus today. Mr. Pradeep Rawat – trustee, Prof. Pradeep Apte – Vice Chairman of the Regulatory Council, Dr. Gauri Moghe, Content Curator and Project Coordinator and Mr. Chinmay Bhandari &Mr. Mithilesh Kulkarni from the Digital Initiatives Team of BORI were present on the occasion.

Stating the objective behind this initiative Bhupal Patwardhan said, “We received a splendid response for some of our online initiatives undertaken during the pandemic. This prompted us to start ‘Bharatvidya’, a digital platform that can take the knowledge acquired by BORI over the past 100 years through its meticulous research work to the ones who value it. Currently, 14 courses are available on this platform and thousands are taking it.”

“As per the NEP 2020, a course of 2 credits on the Indian Knowledge System was made mandatory for undergraduate students. The State Government also issued the notification in this regard. So, for the benefit of the students we developed this course in English and offered it through our ‘Bharatvidya’ platform, which was well received and over 10000 students took this course up and completed it. Now, we are happy to launch this IKS course in Marathi”, Patwardhan added.

Pradeep Rawat said, “This course has been developed in tune with NEP’s guidelines to provide education in the mother language. This also underlines the importance of native languages in propagating the ancient Indian knowledge among the young generation and to inspire them to conserve this knowledge in today’s modern world.”

“This IKS program in Marathi has been developed as per the century-old tradition of BORI which gives importance to facts and evidence while undertaking any research project. The program will be accessible to all those who are interested in IKS at just Rs.1999/- per person with lifetime access to the content. For those students who wish to enroll and opt for these courses to earn the credit to be credited to the credit bank as per the understanding reached by the respective college of the student and the fees would be charged accordingly.”, informed Prof. Pradeep Apte.

While sharing some highlights of this program Dr. Gauri Moghe said, “We have included some of the most important subjects related to the Indian Knowledge System in this program which will be made available for the students through pre-recorded videos. This 30-hour program has a total of 27 sessions. Well thought and logical order of the sessions, use of graphics for better understanding and effective presentation will make this course enjoyable.”

“It has subjects related to the Veda, Upanishad, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Purana, Indian Philosophy, Ancient Mathematics, Ayurveda, Yoga Shastra, Art and Architecture, Temple Architecture, Agriculture and Food tradition and important Dynasties from ancient India. The sessions are presented by renowned subject experts. The evaluation of the course is done with the MCQs at the end of the course and the certificate shall be awarded after the entire course”, Dr. Moghe added.  

She pointed out that this IKS program will not only help UG students to get the mandatory 2 credits but will also make them aware of our age-old rich cultural and knowledge tradition.

The experts whose sessions are part of this 2 credits IKS course in Marathi include Prof. Pradeep Apte, Dr. Mugdha Gadgil, Dr. Gauri Moghe, Dr. Vijaya Deshpande, Pranav Gokhale, Dr. Manish Walvekar, Rajas Vaishampayan, Dr. Yogesh Bendale, Dr.Girish Welankar and Dr. Bhagyashree Yargop.

Mithilesh Kulkarni from the Digital Initiatives Team of BORI said that a lot of Universities and large educational institutions are in talks with BORI for collaboration to offer this mandatory course at the institute level. Some of the reputed educational institutions and Universities that have already signed MoU with BORI include Maharashtra Education Society, MIT World Peace University, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Sri Balaji University Pune, and Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.  

For more information please check https://bharatvidya.in/

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GURUGRAM: Air India, India’s leading global airline, has introduced seven new languages to its round-the-clock customer support services. Customers may now opt for service in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu in addition to the existing Hindi and English.

As a country, India has incredible linguistic diversity and several dialects spoken across the length and breadth of the country. By integrating these seven Indian languages, Air India aims to elevate customer experience and provide a more accessible experience for passengers who prefer to communicate in their native languages. The enhanced Indian language support reflects the airline’s vision of being a ‘global airline with an Indian heart’.

Air India’s IVR system will now automatically recognize the customer’s language preference based on the user’s mobile network, eliminating the need to manually choose a language, and thus reducing the response time.

“The introduction of multilingual support in Indian languages marks a significant milestone in our transformation journey. By integrating these Indian languages into our customer support services, we are not only expanding our reach but also strengthening the relationship with our customers, ensuring that every interaction with Air India feels familiar and inclusive,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India

Recently, Air India has deployed five new contact centers, offering round-the-clock assistance to its customers worldwide with dedicated desks for premium and frequent flyers. Special assistance in Indian languages to Air India customers will be available from 0800 hrs to 2300 hrs IST, every day. In addition, the airline implemented a comprehensive back-office insourcing strategy to manage emails, social media, and chat support in-house which has significantly improved the quality and efficiency of customer support services.

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MUMBAI: Top writers, including Jnanpith laureates and Akademi awardees, from different regional languages will once again gather in Mumbai for the 7th edition of Gateway LitFest (GLF), the largest platform in the country to celebrate language writings, on March 1 and 2, 2024.

Being held after a gap of three years enforced by the Covid pandemic, the pioneering festival of letters will this time celebrate the recent success of regional writers at the world stage, revolving around the central theme of `Indian literature going global.’ The two-day event, being organised by quarterly magazine Kaakka, will be held at the prestigious Convocation Hall, the Fort Campus of the Mumbai University.

Celebrated film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who is also the chairman of the advisory panel of the GLF, Jnanpith winners like Pratibha Ray and Damodar Mauzo, leading writers like Subodh Sarkar, Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Sachin Ketkar, AJ Thomas, S Prasannarajan, Vivek Shanbhag, Paul Zacharia, Devibharathi, Anwar Ali,  N Kalyana Raman, Fathima EV, Shanta Gokhale, Jameel Gulrays, Farook Shaheen, Ramu Ramnathan, Resul Pookkutty, and Vetrimaaran will be among the speakers.

“When the Covid forced us to shelve the event that was held successfully for six years, we felt depressed.  While many festivals took the virtual route to survive, we decided to wait for the right time to organize it physically which is important to meet and discuss literature in person and share the camaraderie of letters. Now we are extremely glad to make a comeback,” said Festival Director Mohan Kakkanadan.

“The recent times have seen our regional writers pushing the global boundaries and winning accolades worldwide. There is a new-found interest in Indian writings especially after `Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree became the first Hindi-language novel to win the International Booker Prize for 2022. Writers like Perumal Murugan, Vivek Shanbag and Bennyamin also are making big impact beyond the boundaries. It is time to celebrate the global success of our own language writers and their works,” said Festival Executive Director Joseph Alexander.

“This current success is partly because of the hard work and talents of a bunch of translators who are also responsible for new thrust of translations happening from one Indian language to another. We are going to make a special tribute to them and honour some of the best translators in the country at present,” said GLF Executive Director K J Bennychan.

Hundreds of writers from all Indian languages have so far graced the festival, the first and the largest platform for Indian writings, in the last six editions. The present edition will also see several sessions on different facets of literature, covering translations, drama, poetry and regional themes.

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PUNE: “One should never forget one’s mother tongue as our language is associated with our culture. We should learn the language of the state in which we live and work. If Kannadagis live in Maharashtra, they must learn Marathi and if Maharashtrians live in Karnataka, they should learn Kannada. A language is a tool and it should be celebrated,” said Sudha Murty, author, social activist, and President of Infosys Foundation.

She was speaking during an interaction with parents and students on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Kannada Sangha’s Dr. Kalmadi Shamarao High School held today at the Shakuntala Jagannath Shetty Auditorium, Erandwane.

Members of the Kannada Sangha including Kushal Hegde, President, Narayan Hegde, VP, Indira Saliyan, VP, and Malati Kalmadi, Secretary among others were present during the event.

“Pune is a special place for me and it has taught me unforgettable lessons. What I learned from Pune is progressive thinking. Greats like Lokmanaya Tilak, Mahatma Phule, and Maharshi Karve were from Pune and all of them thought ahead of time. Pune has a culture of simple living and accepting and adjusting to reality. Also, education in Pune is affordable as compared to other states,” Murty added.

According to her, teachers play an important role in the lives of students and they should be respected.

“An institution where the teachers are not paid or respected will never succeed. My teachers made me what I am. The students should excel in whatever they do but they should always come back and give it back to their alma mater. It’s the duty of all students to give back to the school whatever they’ve received,” she added.

When asked about what advice she would like to give to the parents, Murty said, “Never compare your children with others, as that is the root cause of all misery. Let them bloom naturally. They are not meant to live your unfinished life. Become friends with your children and help them in every way. They shouldn’t worry about failure as it’s a part of life. Failure is better than regret.”

When asked about her family relations with the UK PM Rishi Sunak, she said she doesn’t take pride in it as she’s not contributed in any way toward him becoming the PM.

During the program, Kushal Hegde gave information about the journey of the organization during the last 50 years, while Malati Kalmadi mentioned the various important milestones the organization had achieved including the implementation of Atal Tinkering Lab, Mental Health Counselling, Kaveri Gifted Education and Research Centre, Parent Counselling Centre, Kaveri Nurturing Centre and Rural Connect.

Murty also felicitated the principals of various schools of Kaveri Sangh, including Kamini Saxena, Lakshmi Gandhi, Dr. Ashok Aggarwal, Dr. Chandrakant Harkude, Dr. Madhuri Chittewan, Dr. Kanchan Deshpande and Reshma Deshpande.

At the same time, the two students Sanvi Kulkarni and Kanaka Kelkar, who wrote poems on Murty were specially felicitated by Murthy who gave them the idols of Lord Ganesha.

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