Mangaluru: Celebrations erupted across Mangaluru on Friday after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that Tulu would be accorded the status of Karnataka’s second additional official administrative language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
The announcement came after the Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru, the first Cabinet meeting of the state government outside Bengaluru. The decision fulfils a long-standing demand for greater official recognition of Tulu in the coastal region.
Ministers, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and others participated in the celebrations in Mangaluru. People gathered to mark the announcement, with firecrackers being burst and festivities held with enthusiasm.
Long-standing demand receives recognition
The Cabinet decision provides Tulu with additional administrative language status specifically in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Chief Minister Shivakumar said the decision was taken in response to the long-pending demand from the coastal region.
The Chief Minister also recalled the efforts of former minister Ramanath Rai, Minister U T Khader, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and other elected representatives in pursuing the demand.
Shivakumar said Ashok Kumar Rai had raised the issue of Tulu as his first question in the Legislative Assembly after becoming an MLA. He also acknowledged the efforts of other representatives and people who had worked for official recognition of the language.
Celebrations in Mangaluru
The announcement sparked celebrations in the coastal city, with ministers and public representatives joining the festivities. The scenes included people bursting firecrackers as supporters welcomed the Cabinet’s decision.
The recognition has particular significance in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, where Tulu has a strong presence and forms an important part of the region’s linguistic and cultural heritage.
The state government said the decision is intended to support the preservation and promotion of Tulu and the culture and traditions associated with coastal Karnataka.
Tulu recognition limited to two districts
While the announcement has been widely described as Tulu receiving official language status in Karnataka, the Cabinet decision specifically makes it the state’s second additional administrative language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Kannada remains Karnataka’s principal official language.
The decision therefore marks an administrative recognition of Tulu within the two coastal districts rather than making it the official language for government administration across the entire state.
Historic Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru
The Tulu decision was among several major announcements made at the Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru. The government also approved development projects worth ₹32,611 crore for the coastal region and cleared a new Coastal-Malnad Karnataka Tourism Policy.
The Chief Minister said the tourism policy would provide greater support to investors, with tourism projects in the coastal and Malnad regions to be treated as infrastructure projects.
The Cabinet also approved plans for a Fisheries and Blue Economy University, increased the intake at the existing fisheries college and sanctioned a medical college in Puttur, among other initiatives.
The government has further announced plans to hold Cabinet meetings at 10 to 12 locations across Karnataka over the next 15 months, subject to the required capacity and need.
The recognition of Tulu adds a significant linguistic dimension to the Mangaluru Cabinet meeting, giving formal administrative recognition to a language that has been at the centre of a long-running demand in coastal Karnataka.