Mangaluru: While fight for inclusion of Tulu in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution is on and simultaneously many organisations are also toiling to promote the Tulu lipi (script), which has been lost in the hue of time, a Gram Panchayat in Dakshina Kannada district has taken a small yet significant step towards promoting the language.
Athikaribettu Gram Panchayat in Shimantoor village, near Mulky, in Dakshina Kannada disrict has put up signboards at cross roads with Tulu lipi written on it, alongside Kannada.
Athikaribettu Gram Panchayat has planned to give priority to Tulu language at least in their Gram Panchayat limits, thereby showing their solidarity with the demand for inclusion of Tulu language in 8th Schedule of Constitution.
Hence, Panchayat Development Officer Ravi, President Sharada Vasanth, vice president Kishore Shetty, member Jeevan Shetty took up the project of including Tulu language on all the signboards at cross roads.
The matter was discussed during the Gram Panchayat meeting, where it was decided that the project must be implemented at the earliest.
With this, there are 10 boards already installed at the cross roads of Athikaribettu Gram Panchayat, using Tulu script.
When the images of the same were criculated on social networking sites, netizens lauded the move of the Gram Panchayat.
Athikaribettu Gram Panchayat PDO informed newskarnataka.com that it was a small initiative to press for the inclusion of Tulu language in the eighth schedule of Indian constitution.
“During the first phase, we have installed 10 such boards in our Gram Panchayat limits. We are also planning to install more such boards in the next coming days. Our intention is to give more prominence to our Tulu language. We are also insisting people to speak Tulu language and respect it,” he adds.
