​​Accelerating Information Dissemination in India

India, with its staggering diversity, is home to more than 450 languages. This linguistic richness is a source of pride, yet it also complicates the sharing of information. In a country where language determines access, the unequal flow of information has become a silent crisis. Critical information—news, healthcare guidance, educational content—often flows swiftly in a few major languages while trickling slowly, if at all, into others. The result? A deeply divided population when it comes to accessing opportunities and making informed decisions.

The Language Conundrum: Who Gets to Know?

Picture this: a village in Assam where most people speak Bodo, one of the region’s indigenous languages. The news channels available to them broadcast mainly in Hindi, Assamese, or English. Printed newspapers, if available at all, follow the same trend. National policies, health advisories, educational updates—all in languages they are either not fluent in or only partially understand. The disconnect is clear: information is power, but only if you can access it.

India’s media landscape is dominated by Hindi, English, and a few regional languages like Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu. These languages control the narrative in newspapers, TV broadcasts, radio, and digital media, leaving many smaller languages struggling to be heard. Major broadcasters prioritize their resources where they see the most profit—targeting the language speakers that command the largest audiences. This creates a vicious cycle: larger budgets mean better content, which in turn draws larger audiences. Meanwhile, speakers of smaller languages receive subpar content, if they receive any at all.

Take television, for instance. National news channels like NDTV or Zee News rarely broadcast in languages beyond the top few. If you speak Santali, Bhili, or even a smaller language like Gondi, your options are limited to poorly-funded regional outlets, community-run channels with minimal reach, or, worse, no media at all. This not only affects people’s ability to stay informed but also limits their voice in the democratic process. When millions are left out of the conversation, the country's progress becomes one-sided.

The Real Cost of Linguistic Inequality in Media

This exclusion has real consequences. Imagine trying to understand government health advisories during the COVID-19 pandemic when the only available information is in languages you can barely follow. During the pandemic, misinformation spread rapidly in parts of rural India where people lacked access to timely, accurate news in their own language. Rumors and confusion led to vaccine hesitancy, non-compliance with safety measures, and even fear-based migration.

In states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where a significant population speaks languages like Gondi or Bharia, government advisories failed to reach many of the most vulnerable. The health workers in these areas found themselves fighting not just the virus but also myths and misinformation. What if the local radio, which people relied on, could broadcast that information in Gondi? What if national news could be adapted seamlessly into the language spoken at home, making crucial knowledge accessible?

It’s not just about health—access to news impacts livelihoods. In regions like Jharkhand, farmers who don’t understand Hindi well miss out on agricultural advisories that are vital for their livelihood. Seasonal weather updates, pest control measures, government subsidy announcements—these are often communicated in the dominant languages, leaving those who speak other tongues to rely on hearsay, which is unreliable at best and damaging at worst.

Information as a Right: How TTS Can Change the Game

The solution is not to create an entirely separate system for each language—it’s neither practical nor sustainable given the diversity of India. Instead, the solution lies in leveraging cutting-edge technology like Myna-mini to expand accessibility in an efficient and cost-effective way.

Imagine a future where a single script, produced by a national news network in Hindi, can be adapted to over a dozen different languages spoken across the country. Text-to-Speech models can achieve just that, providing real-time translations and vocalizations of news, advisories, or educational content. A system that takes the best quality journalism produced for major languages and makes it accessible to everyone—not just the mainstream—is transformative.

For instance, a radio broadcaster in Maharashtra could take a high-quality health segment originally scripted in Marathi and use Myna-mini to make it available in Varhadi, Konkani, or even in Santali for migrant workers. This would mean that instead of producing lower-budget, poorly researched local content, the broadcaster could extend the reach of their best programming. This approach not only ensures uniformity and consistency in the quality of information but also democratizes access across India’s many linguistic communities.

The Cost-Effective Solution: Reaching Millions Without Breaking the Bank

The economics of media production are at the heart of this issue. Producing high-quality content is expensive—it requires a well-trained editorial team, resources for research, production, and distribution, and marketing to reach the target audience. For languages that are spoken by smaller communities, the return on investment simply doesn’t justify the cost, which is why they receive less funding and, consequently, lower quality content.

TTS technology, however, changes that equation. Instead of needing a full team to produce separate content in Garo, Ladakhi, or Mizo, media companies could use Myna-mini to adapt existing content quickly and affordably. The technology can vocalize these languages in a way that captures both meaning and context, ensuring that the message is as impactful in Mizo as it is in Hindi. This reduces production costs dramatically and ensures high-quality, culturally appropriate content is accessible to all.

The private sector, too, has an incentive here. Expanding their content to multiple languages means a larger audience and, therefore, more advertising revenue. Consider the advertising possibilities for a regional FMCG brand looking to market their products in a region where Bhili is spoken. A Myna-mini-enabled news channel broadcasting in Bhili could provide advertising slots that cater to an audience that has traditionally been difficult to reach. The potential for hyper-localized advertising opens up new revenue streams, making the adoption of TTS technology a smart business decision as well as a socially responsible one.

Cultural Identity and Trust in Information

Language is more than a tool of communication—it is a vessel of culture, a marker of identity. When people access information in their mother tongue, they do more than just understand it; they feel connected to it. During the farmers’ protests of 2020-2021, many Punjabi speakers expressed frustration that the mainstream media was failing to cover their perspective authentically. Local, Punjabi-language channels became a critical source of news, providing a sense of ownership over the narrative.

By using TTS technology to expand coverage into more languages, we can cultivate trust in the media. When communities hear news in their language, it validates their identity, and they are more likely to trust the source. In a country where misinformation spreads rapidly through platforms like WhatsApp, building trust through culturally relevant, language-specific broadcasting is crucial.

The same applies to government initiatives. Whether it’s Swachh Bharat or Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, campaigns succeed only when they reach the grassroots. The more people see and hear content in their own language, the more likely they are to believe in it, act on it, and even advocate for it. TTS technology can help government bodies expand the reach of such initiatives, making sure no one is left out simply because of the language they speak.

Envisioning an Inclusive Media Future

Imagine a future where every village in India, regardless of its size or remoteness, has access to reliable information in the local language. Imagine a farmer in the hills of Manipur listening to a detailed weather advisory in Manipuri, or a student in a remote district of Odisha able to follow online classes in Sambalpuri, ensuring they do not fall behind simply because their language isn’t prioritized by mainstream media.

This future isn’t utopian—it’s possible with the right application of technology. TTS isn’t about replacing human journalists or taking away jobs; it’s about making sure that the hard work of journalists reaches everyone who needs it, in the language that touches their hearts. It’s about making the flow of information seamless across regions and cultures, ensuring that everyone can participate fully in the story of India’s progress.

The transformation begins with media companies, policymakers, and technology developers coming together to build systems that value every language, every culture, and every voice. It’s about changing the status quo—where a few dominate the discourse—and creating a media landscape that’s as diverse as the country itself. It’s about recognizing that the people who speak Santali, Bhili, or Gondi are as deserving of timely, quality information as those who speak Hindi or English.

Conclusion: Information for Everyone, Not Just the Few

India’s diversity is its greatest strength, but it also demands an inclusive approach to information dissemination. Today, the flow of information is uneven, dictated by the economics of media production and the dominance of a few major languages. But technology—specifically, Text-to-Speech—offers a way forward. It provides a means to accelerate the flow of information, to ensure that every person, no matter where they are or what language they speak, has access to the knowledge they need.

Accelerating information dissemination in India isn’t just about making life more convenient—it’s about equity, justice, and empowerment. It’s about making sure that the media truly serves as the fourth pillar of democracy for everyone, not just the majority. By embracing TTS technology and committing to linguistic inclusivity, we can build a future where every voice is heard, every language is valued, and every individual has the information they need to thrive. Let’s not wait for change to happen—let’s create it, one language at a time.