Mangaluru: Karnataka’s decision to accord Tulu the status of the state’s second additional official language for administrative and government purposes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has renewed demands for similar recognition in Kasaragod, Keralam. The Karnataka Cabinet took the decision at its September 18 meeting in Mangaluru.
Manjeshwar MLA AKM Ashraf has said he will raise the demand in the Keralam Legislative Assembly during its next session.
“Tulu should also be made an official second language in Kasaragod like in Karnataka. The district is part of ‘Tulunadu’ and has a large Tulu-speaking population after Malayalam,” Ashraf told The Times of India.
Demand for recognition in Kasaragod
Ashraf said official recognition for Tulu in Kasaragod could strengthen the language’s institutional presence in the district. He also drew attention to the functioning of the Kerala Tulu Academy.
According to him, a new committee has not been appointed to the academy and it did not receive adequate attention during the previous CPM-led government. He said he would take up the matter with the Keralam government and seek adequate funding for the academy.
“If a new committee is appointed and funds are provided, the academy can function effectively,” he said.
The demand comes shortly after Karnataka’s Cabinet decision, which limits the newly accorded additional official-language status to administrative and government purposes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Tulu organisations in Karnataka have subsequently sought a roadmap for implementing the decision in government offices, schools and other institutions.
Historical links to Tulu
S Vighnaraj, former director of the Sri Dharmasthala Culture Research Foundation, pointed to the historical presence of Tulu in Kasaragod.
He said Tulu manuscripts had been found in different parts of the district, including Jodukallu, Kayyar and Perla. He also referred to Tulu inscriptions at Kumbla, Bekal, Ananthapuram and Madhur as evidence of the region’s linguistic and cultural links with Tulu.
Tulu writer Kushalakshi Kanwatheertha of Manjeshwar said several cultural practices associated with the Tulu community had continued in Kasaragod.
She said recognition as a regional language could help strengthen Tulu and benefit Tulu-speaking children in education, employment and interactions with government offices.
Kanwatheertha also said recognition in Keralam could add momentum to the long-standing demand for Tulu’s inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Tulu organisations plan to approach authorities
Utham Urlithadka, president of the Jai Tulunadu’s Kasaragod unit, said the organisation was pursuing the demand with the authorities.
He said the organisation planned to approach the Kasaragod district administration, the Keralam government and legislators regarding recognition for Tulu.
The demand for recognition in Keralam had also figured in a wider campaign by Tulu organisations ahead of the Karnataka Cabinet meeting. Organisations had sought official-language recognition for Tulu in both Karnataka and Keralam through a social media campaign earlier this month.
Kasaragod’s contribution to Tulu cinema
National award-winning actor Roopashree Vorkady, who hails from Kasaragod, said the district’s close association with Tulunadu and the Tulu language should be reflected through greater official recognition.
She said Kasaragod has a strong Tulu-speaking community and that more research and publications on Tulu in the district could help create greater awareness of its linguistic and cultural history.
Vorkady also highlighted the contribution of artists from Kasaragod to Tulu theatre and cinema.
“Almost all artists from Kasaragod work in Tulu,” she said, pointing to the continued importance of the language in the region’s cultural life.
Actors including Prakash Thuminad and Roopesh Shetty are among those from Kasaragod associated with Tulu cinema and theatre.
The renewed demand in Kasaragod comes as Karnataka begins the process of implementing its decision on Tulu in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, with Tulu organisations in Karnataka already seeking concrete measures for its use in public institutions.