Development and Application of Dublin Core Metadata Standards in Marathi

Abstract

To enable Dublin Core metadata to become a global standard for locating information on the Web, it is essential that such metadata be provided in different languages and in a variety of scripts. This would enable search and retrieval of Web documents in all languages. Considering the potentials of DC metadata in resource discovery on the Internet, the current paper reports an attempt to translate Dublin Core metadata elements into Marathi language (the local language of Maharashtra State in India), render them in Devnagari script and apply them to a significant section of Marathi literature – viz. the writings of one of the "saint-poets" of the Middle Ages. Our efforts are to create a web based database and to assign Dublin Core international metadata standards rendered in Marathi for cataloguing the literature of one of the prominent “saint-poets” – Chokha Mela – available in print and electronic format as well as on Internet. This is conceived as part of a larger project of organizing all the literature of the "saint-poets". We have chosen a group of saint-poets" in Maharashtra from the 13th century (e.g. Jnandev 1275-96) to the 17th century (e.g. Tukaram 1608-90) whohelped establish the 'Bhakti' (devotional) school of Hinduism in Western India and assisted in its spread from southern to northern India. Even today, the lives of the saint-poets and their literature continue to inspire a large section of the Marathi speaking population and provide them with emotional solace. As such, their writings constitute an important segment of Marathi literature and researchers from all over the world are engaged in studying it. The original writings in Sanskrit (including the early handwritten manuscripts) and commentaries in Marathi on them are scattered at different places in India and are now beginning to make an appearance on the Web.