Combines speech-to-text and text-to-speech for Nagamese, Khasi, Garo, Mizo, Meitei and Kokborok
Shillong, August 18 (MExN): MWire Labs, a Shillong-based research and AI deployment lab based has announced the release of ‘Lemka,’ described as an end-to-end speech AI system combining speech-to-text (STT) and text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities for six languages of Northeast India.
The system supports Nagamese, Khasi, Garo, Mizo, Meitei (Manipuri) and Kokborok, enabling users to interact with computer systems through speech rather than typing or relying on English or Hindi, according to the lab.
MWire Labs said Lemka is intended for practical applications including government helplines and welfare services in local languages, agricultural advisories delivered through voice, and learning tools that can communicate with students in their own languages.
The system has been developed using more than 1,000 hours of field audio recorded across the region.
According to MWire Labs, its models are optimised for noisy and dialectal speech and designed for deployment in offline and edge-based environments, including areas with limited connectivity.
The lab said Lemka builds on its earlier work on an offline voice assistant for Garo, developed for visually impaired users and designed to operate without cloud connectivity.
Lemka follows MWire Labs’ earlier open release of NE-ASR, a speech recognition model covering eight Northeast Indian languages on Hugging Face.
The lab said the new system forms part of its broader NE-Stack, an initiative focused on developing foundational language AI infrastructure for the region’s more than 220 indigenous languages, most of which currently have limited or no AI support.
MWire Labs said Lemka is currently available for deployments and early-access partnerships, with the lab engaging government departments, research institutions and organisations in healthcare and agriculture for pilot projects.
“Our languages carry our history, culture, and identity. With Lemka, we’re not just building speech models, we’re making sure North-East India’s voices are actively woven into the future of technology, rather than left behind,” said Badal Nyalang, Director, MWire Labs in the release.
MWire Labs was founded in 2025 and is focused on developing language AI for Northeast India, with an emphasis on practical and offline-capable systems for governance, agriculture and education, it added.
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