Billion Readers (BIRD) Initiative champions Same Language Subtitling (SLS) with Prasar Bharati at DD Chandana Kannada Rajyotsava Celebrations

In celebration of Kannada Rajyotsava, Doordarshan Chandana invited the Billion Readers (BIRD) Initiative to present its work on Kannada Same Language Subtitling (SLS) in its programme.

‘Kannada Sambhrama’ on WAVES OTT (Third-party images and screenshots appear in this press release for illustration purposes under fair use (Copyright Act, 1957, India). All such materials remain the property of their respective owners, and their use does not imply endorsement or affiliation.)

Image Credit: PR

Bengaluru, November 12, 2026: In celebration of Kannada Rajyotsava, Doordarshan Chandana invited the Billion Readers (BIRD) Initiative to present its work on Kannada Same Language Subtitling (SLS) in its programme, Nudi Habba | Sirigannada Sannidhi, telecast on November 8, 2026, at 7:30 pm. This special programme featured Prathibha Nandakumar, a Kannada poet and writer, as the Guest of Honour, and showcased a celebration of Karnataka’s rich heritage, culture and its language through musical performances and speeches by child artists. The programme also featured a presentation by BIRD, focusing on its implementation of Kannada SLS on Prasar Bharati’s WAVES OTT platform, making Kannada content more accessible and helping viewers read Kannada more fluently.

DD Chandana is among eight Doordarshan Kendras across India working in close collaboration with BIRD, building on the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Prasar Bharati and BIRD to accelerate the implementation of high-quality SLS to Prasar Bharati content in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. This will scale country-wide literacy-driven viewing by setting a public-interest benchmark for media accessibility and promoting functional literacy for millions of viewers across India, and operationalise Prasar Bharati’s accessibility mission to inform, educate and entertain through SLS. Dr. Brij Kothari, Adjunct Professor at IIT Delhi and Founder of BIRD, added, “This MoU allows us to move SLS from ‘good practice’ to policy implementation and ultimately system change. When people watch, hear and read content they love in the same language, the brain effortlessly associates sound and text. Karnataka now has the opportunity to become a national model for accessible media and lifelong reading improvement.”

By facilitating this conversation on Kannada Rajyotsava, BIRD aims to bring attention to the uses of Kannada subtitles on Kannada media content: Kannada SLS will not only help preserve the cultural heritage of the State and revive previously loved archival content, but also aid in viewers building reading fluency in Kannada while also watching content they love.

About SLS and Billion Readers (BIRD) Initiative

SLS adds subtitles in the same language as the audio to popular songs, shows, and films, turning everyday entertainment into effortless, repeated reading practice. It also enhances media access for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) viewers. Started by PlanetRead in 1996, SLS has grown into the nation-wide BIRD Initiative, which envisions “Every Indian, a fluent reader.”

Of India’s one billion people classified as literate, an estimated 600 million are weak readers: they can recognise a few letters and words but cannot read simple texts at the Class 2 level (ASER Report, 2022). Women and girls account for 60% of weak readers.

BIRD aims to implement SLS across all existing mainstream video content, providing more than a billion consumers of entertainment in India with daily, lifelong reading practice in their preferred language of viewing.

Billion Readers Initiative Website: https://billionreaders.org/

Media Contact: Neha Madhusudan, DDK Project Manager - SLS Operations, Bengaluru, BIRD | PlanetRead, neha@planetread.org