Thread by @DeviPrasadRao8

What did you have for breakfast?
If you had an omelette, bagel, waffle or cereal; you have an emoji 🍳🥯🧇🥣
But, if you had idli, dosa or upma or any Indian breakfast; you don’t have an emoji

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

1/

What did you have for lunch?
If you had pizza, burger or spaghetti ; you have an emoji 🍕 🍔 🍝
But, if you had biryani, daal chawal or a thali or any Indian lunch; you don’t have an emoji

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

2/

Which festival do you celebrate?
If it is Christmas or Valentine’s Day; you have an emoji 🎄🎅💝
But, if celebrate Diwali, Pongal, Ugadi, Holi or Raksha Bandan; you don’t have an emoji

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

3/

The story goes on; for sports arts, dresses & symbols!
Emojis are an essential part of our everyday conversation
They’re license-free, royalty-free, for perpetuity & there’s no money to be made

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

4/

Indian, Bharatiya, Hindustani, Sanatani, desi, Indic, dharmic (call it what you want) imagery are being edged out of digital conversations & we aren’t even noticing it. Forget fighting back!

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

5/

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt With your help, we’re trying to change that!
As a "Shubh Arambh", we start by introducing to you the "Shree" emoji that'll feature in the Desi Emoji App!

There are an infinite number of images that can represent our millennia old civilization, with all its diversity!

6/

With the world's largest & youngest population, we are woefully underrepresented
And that is unacceptable!

Bharat's time has come & we'd like to be represented; adequately & accurately

We are democratizing the process & we invite you to come, be a part of it!

7/

There is any one (or more) of four things that you can do to change the status quo:
1 If you are a Graphic Designer, share your emoji suggestions as an SVG file

Visit us at thethanjaibigart.org
Follow the instructions & finally, click on “Take the Desi Emoji Challenge”
8/

2 If you are not a Graphic Designer, get in touch with a Graphic Designer (@d_justdial has thousands, literally) to design your idea as an emoji suggestion & give you an SVG file.

Then, you can visit us at thethanjaibigart.org & click on the “Take the Desi Emoji Challenge”
9/

3 The best things in life are free.
The second-best things cost money.
Getting Desi Emojis accepted by the Unicode Consortium is a time-consuming process, that involves extensive documentation.

To undertake this, we need funds & we would love you to be a part of this effort

10/

You can join us as a donor & be a part of this initiative. We have two options for you. The first is you can support us at milaap at
milaap.org/fundraisers/su…

OR

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

11/

you can choose the second option & directly deposit funds into our account using RazorPay.

Either way, donors can claim exemption from Income Tax under Section 80G

pages.razorpay.com/pl_KxnsaDmQmDN…

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

12/

4 Spread the word! Now!
Like, RT, QT, WhatsApp
Use Sanatani, desi, Indic, dharmic terms freely

The emojis are classified into ten broad categories & we may add more
They are:

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

13/

1 Our deities
2 Our festivals
3 Desi food & drink
4 Costumes of India
5 Desi sports & games
6 Desi everyday objects
7 Desi or dharmic symbols
8 Travel & places across India
9 Arts, crafts & culture of India
10 Architectural heritage of India
11 Anything else not mentioned above

Contributors & Donors will be invited to the Beta & can use Desi emojis 90 days before others

Watch this space, follow us for updates!
Every little contribution makes a huge difference!

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects

15/

For those interested, there's a Hijab emoji, created by a Saudi teenage girl

Since then, we've been waiting for someone to do something similar for Sanatanis
newarab.com/opinion/saudi-…

@brhat_in @ThanjaiBigArt
#DesiEmojis
#DecolonisingBharat
#CivilisationalProjects
16/to be cont'd