Ao vernacular daily Tir Yimyim celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Wednesday at the Business Association of Nagas (BAN) Conference Hall, DC Court Junction, Dimapur on 8th of October 2025. The milestone celebration also marked the official launch of an AI-powered translation website, “Ao Lingo,” designed to facilitate translation between Ao and English languages.
Delivering a short address, Ningsangwaba Pongen, President of Ao Senso Telongjem Dimapur (ASTD), expressed gratitude to God for blessing the Ao community with a visionary and dedicated leader like K. Temjen Jamir, Editor-in-Chief of Tir Yimyim. He lauded Jamir for his humanitarian contributions and unwavering commitment to public service, while also congratulating Tir Yimyim on completing 22 years of impactful journalism.
In his welcome address, K. Temjen Jamir reflected on the newspaper’s journey over the past two decades, highlighting both its challenges and achievements. Expressing heartfelt appreciation to readers and well-wishers, he remarked that “Tir Yimyim belongs to everyone.”
Speaking on the newly launched Ao Lingo platform, Jamir explained that it is an AI-driven translation tool developed by Bendangnüksüng, a Machine Learning Engineer based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The platform allows translation between Ao and English, and since it is powered by artificial intelligence, Jamir urged the community to actively use it so that the system can continue to learn and improve its accuracy over time.
The Ao Lingo website was officially launched by BAN President, Mongkum Jamir. As part of the anniversary celebration, SDO (Civil) Peren and co-founder of Bookipedia, Sentilong Ozüküm, facilitated the prize distribution for the “Yimdangjem Otsü Zulu Toktep” (Fiction Writing Competition) jointly organized by Bookipedia and Tir Yimyim.
Marnungtet Ozüküm won first place for the story “Shiti,” receiving a cash prize of ₹20,000 along with a citation. The second prize was jointly shared by S. Aosüngküm Ozüküm (Kita Chir) and Imli P. Lemtur (Memenudang Kindangi Shilanangma), who each received ₹15,000, while the third prize went to M. Senthy Jamir (Medemer Tajung Ana) and Temjentenzük (Kiyimdang Sepokba Hon Keri Ayok), with each awarded ₹10,000.
In his address, Sentilong Ozüküm expressed satisfaction at the strong participation in the competition, acknowledging all contributors and encouraging continued efforts to nurture creative writing within the community.
A pre-recorded video message from Bendangnüksüng was also screened during the event, in which he urged the community to make use of the Ao Lingo platform to help refine its AI capabilities and make it more efficient over time.
The event concluded with a note of gratitude to all supporters, marking a significant milestone for Tir Yimyim as it continues its mission to promote language, literature, and innovation in the digital age.
(Limatoshi, IA Dimapur)
