Deoband Community Wikimedia Turns 5: Celebrating Five Years of Free Knowledge and Looking to the Horizon

Deoband Community Wikimedia Celebrates its 5th Anniversary

1 August 2026, Aafi, Founder and Chair, Executive Board.

On 31 July 2026, Deoband Community Wikimedia (DCW) completed five years as an organized Wikimedia community. On 1 August 2026, community members and editors held a 3-hour event in Nehru Place, New Delhi, marking the anniversary and discussing plans.

Established on 31 July 2021, DCW began as a group of three people, recruiting more than 40 active volunteer members who contribute across Wikimedia projects and represent the community at major Wikimedia spaces like Wikimanias and WikiConferences. Among the prominent DCW initiatives are the DCW Conversation Hour, Heritage Lens, and WikiClubs like Wiki Club AMU.

What did we do so far

DCW started with a consistent approach rather than fervour, and initiated diverse programs over these 5 years. I was joined by many others, who helped in their ways. Some contributed significantly to Wikimedia projects, while others helped organise events. Profit-driven communities see pride in how much money they make, but for a community that doesn't look at money, the proud resources are the volunteers and the conversations they have. We partnered with Yoruba and Kashmiri Wikimedians, and tested a few other ideas. Today, we have been successful enough to have consistently organised 43 editions of DCW Conversation Hour - a conversation that focuses on Wikimedia movement strategy and beyond. For Professor Matthew Vetter of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, "These conversation hours are just incredible resources for engaging our communities and working to advance the mission of Wikipedia's free knowledge."

We organised 8 iterations of our Heritage Lens program, bringing about 1714 images to Wikimedia Commons. Through the DCW-K Editathon, our volunteers contributed over 279 articles to the Kashmiri-language Wikipedia. Our volunteers helped revive Urdu Wikiquote and made significant contributions to the English and Urdu Wikipedias, as well as to Wikidata.

Reflections

To mark the 5th anniversary, members, contributors, and academic collaborators shared reflections over the past week on their experiences with DCW:

"I immensely enjoyed the Deoband Community Wikimedia workshop, and it was also lovely hosting the group at my place. I look forward to welcoming you all again. Congratulations on the fifth anniversary, and on helping build a more open and inclusive world." — Prof Swati Chawla	"Reflecting on DCW’s five-year journey reminds me that strong communities are built by people who quietly show up, support others, and give their time without expecting anything in return." — Muntaqibah
"I am pretty sure that DCW will grow into a very important element in the academic culture of the future." — Dr. Aishwarya Kumar	"Looking back at the past five years, joining Deoband Community Wikimedia (DCW) has been one of the best decisions of my Wikimedia journey." — User:Khaatir
"I don’t think words can truly capture the impact DCW has had on all our lives, whether in big ways or small. It has opened us to the world while also helping us discover the world within ourselves. For that, I will always be grateful." — Sana Sabir