The internet, for all it’s many, many splendours, is not something that can be easily availed by those who don’t speak English. This is because the internet’s default language is English, and this poses a challenge for those who don’t speak English or an associated language.
[caption id="attachment_147391" align="alignright" width="402"]
"Before Helakuru, people were using Singlish, or typing Sinhala in English characters...Now, 10 years ahead, we can see that all the content in social media and messaging has converted to the local Sinhala script, allowing people to express themselves in their mother tongue" Helakuru Founder Dhanika Perera[/caption]
As humans do though, we adapted, and those of us who used languages like Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, and, of course, Sinhala, began using English script to transliterate our languages and communicate on the internet and on the multitude of digital devices that have followed and become integral to our lives.
This adaptation does pose its challenges though. For one, it can lead to confusion, especially with words that sound similar when transliterated (for example, lunu), and what happens when you don’t know the basics of English to be able to use it even in a limited capacity to transliterate. In 2011, one visionary entrepreneur combined his passion for language and technology to create a solution that fills this gap – Helakuru.
Helakuru began life as an alternative keyboard that supported the Sinhala language and allowed Sinhala speakers to communicate with each other digitally in the Sinhala language (i.e. the Sinhala script itself). Over the years, Helakuru has grown to become more than an alternative keyboard. In addition to it now being a trilingual product, it is now a lifestyle app that also offers users real-time news updates (Esana), reloads, e-channelling, a classified section, dictionary, and even an astrology service. It is also now considered a place where Sri Lankans can showcase their creative writing prowess in their native tongues. It is also available for desktop platforms. The fact that Helakuru has progressed beyond simply a writing tool is evidenced by the fact that in June, Helakuru exceeded 10 million downloads.
In light of this milestone, Brunch reached out to Helakuru Founder Dhanika Perera. Perera, an award-winning serial entrepreneur who is also the CEO of Bhasha Lanka and the man behind several other Sri Lankan software products like “PayHere” and “ShopHere”, first devised Helakuru while studying computer science and engineering at the University of Moratuwa. “I had a passion for developing software in languages,” Perera said, adding: “I combined that with one of the major problems in the country at the time – there were no solutions to write in Sinhala on mobile devices – and innovated the technology to write Sinhala unicode on smartphones. Helakuru was the very first keyboard app that enabled this.”
The nature of Helakuru has meant that Perera has never had to do a lot of advertising or marketing. Helakuru has grown largely by word of mouth and by being a tool that allowed people to communicate in their native tongues. Being the first solution of its kind, it quickly went viral, and five years in, in 2016, Perera and the Helakuru team began offering more digital services, leading to the lifestyle app we see today, a format that Perera shared is inspired by WeChat, China’s chat app that has evolved into a larger platform that plays an important role in its users’ everyday lives.
Speaking on Helakuru’s milestone of 10 million downloads, Perera said that this milestone has actually come to pass sooner than he expected. “It took us about five years to pass the 1 million downloads in 2016,” he shared, adding: “From there it went really rapidly. Covid-19 has helped this to an extent; people need news alerts, reload facilities, etc. Right now, we’re averaging 2.5 million downloads per year, looking at last year and this year.” Perera also said that while Helakuru’s basic service is helping people through its alternative keyboard for users to type in Sinhala and Tamil, the extra value additions that Helakuru has built in over the years, like the creative writing oriented social platform that allows Sri Lankans to share and show writing in their native tongues, has played a part in helping Helakuru grow.
“It’s a great feeling to know that you are helping 10 million-plus people with your passion and leadership,” Perera said, adding: “As an entrepreneur, I have to note that if I had gone to work for someone, I would have interacted with a smaller group of people. By building my own product that serves people in this country, I have had the opportunity to help people. I believe that we have changed the status of communication in the country. Before Helakuru, people were using Singlish, or typing Sinhala in English characters. They didn’t have a way to use the Sinhala script. Now, 10 years ahead, we can see that all the content in social media and messaging has converted to the local Sinhala script, allowing people to express themselves in their mother tongue, allowing them to make change in their lives.”
Looking to the future, Perera shared that Helakuru would stay aligned to their core concept of evolving into a lifestyle app that empowers and enriches the day-to-day lives of Sri Lankans. “Our daily vision is empowering Sri Lankans digitally, and that is where we’re heading, to empower more people in the country through digital services.”
"Before Helakuru, people were using Singlish, or typing Sinhala in English characters...Now, 10 years ahead, we can see that all the content in social media and messaging has converted to the local Sinhala script, allowing people to express themselves in their mother tongue" Helakuru Founder Dhanika Perera[/caption]
As humans do though, we adapted, and those of us who used languages like Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, and, of course, Sinhala, began using English script to transliterate our languages and communicate on the internet and on the multitude of digital devices that have followed and become integral to our lives.
This adaptation does pose its challenges though. For one, it can lead to confusion, especially with words that sound similar when transliterated (for example, lunu), and what happens when you don’t know the basics of English to be able to use it even in a limited capacity to transliterate. In 2011, one visionary entrepreneur combined his passion for language and technology to create a solution that fills this gap – Helakuru.
Helakuru began life as an alternative keyboard that supported the Sinhala language and allowed Sinhala speakers to communicate with each other digitally in the Sinhala language (i.e. the Sinhala script itself). Over the years, Helakuru has grown to become more than an alternative keyboard. In addition to it now being a trilingual product, it is now a lifestyle app that also offers users real-time news updates (Esana), reloads, e-channelling, a classified section, dictionary, and even an astrology service. It is also now considered a place where Sri Lankans can showcase their creative writing prowess in their native tongues. It is also available for desktop platforms. The fact that Helakuru has progressed beyond simply a writing tool is evidenced by the fact that in June, Helakuru exceeded 10 million downloads.
In light of this milestone, Brunch reached out to Helakuru Founder Dhanika Perera. Perera, an award-winning serial entrepreneur who is also the CEO of Bhasha Lanka and the man behind several other Sri Lankan software products like “PayHere” and “ShopHere”, first devised Helakuru while studying computer science and engineering at the University of Moratuwa. “I had a passion for developing software in languages,” Perera said, adding: “I combined that with one of the major problems in the country at the time – there were no solutions to write in Sinhala on mobile devices – and innovated the technology to write Sinhala unicode on smartphones. Helakuru was the very first keyboard app that enabled this.”
The nature of Helakuru has meant that Perera has never had to do a lot of advertising or marketing. Helakuru has grown largely by word of mouth and by being a tool that allowed people to communicate in their native tongues. Being the first solution of its kind, it quickly went viral, and five years in, in 2016, Perera and the Helakuru team began offering more digital services, leading to the lifestyle app we see today, a format that Perera shared is inspired by WeChat, China’s chat app that has evolved into a larger platform that plays an important role in its users’ everyday lives.
Speaking on Helakuru’s milestone of 10 million downloads, Perera said that this milestone has actually come to pass sooner than he expected. “It took us about five years to pass the 1 million downloads in 2016,” he shared, adding: “From there it went really rapidly. Covid-19 has helped this to an extent; people need news alerts, reload facilities, etc. Right now, we’re averaging 2.5 million downloads per year, looking at last year and this year.” Perera also said that while Helakuru’s basic service is helping people through its alternative keyboard for users to type in Sinhala and Tamil, the extra value additions that Helakuru has built in over the years, like the creative writing oriented social platform that allows Sri Lankans to share and show writing in their native tongues, has played a part in helping Helakuru grow.
“It’s a great feeling to know that you are helping 10 million-plus people with your passion and leadership,” Perera said, adding: “As an entrepreneur, I have to note that if I had gone to work for someone, I would have interacted with a smaller group of people. By building my own product that serves people in this country, I have had the opportunity to help people. I believe that we have changed the status of communication in the country. Before Helakuru, people were using Singlish, or typing Sinhala in English characters. They didn’t have a way to use the Sinhala script. Now, 10 years ahead, we can see that all the content in social media and messaging has converted to the local Sinhala script, allowing people to express themselves in their mother tongue, allowing them to make change in their lives.”
Looking to the future, Perera shared that Helakuru would stay aligned to their core concept of evolving into a lifestyle app that empowers and enriches the day-to-day lives of Sri Lankans. “Our daily vision is empowering Sri Lankans digitally, and that is where we’re heading, to empower more people in the country through digital services.”