In a significant move to promote the Tulu language, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has officially included Tulu on the main signboard at the entrance of its building. The new board was unveiled by Mayor Manoj Kumar on Monday, marking a key moment in the local government’s ongoing efforts to elevate Tulu’s status in official spaces.
During the unveiling ceremony, the mayor expressed that this initiative reflects MCC’s commitment to increasing the visibility of Tulu and serves as an example for other urban local bodies in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district.
“We’ve taken a substantial step by adding Tulu to the MCC building’s main signboard. This initiative will certainly inspire other urban local bodies in the region to follow our lead and incorporate Tulu into their official signage,” the mayor stated.
He also revealed plans to introduce Tulu signage at MCC’s zonal offices in Surathkal and Kadri, as well as in the two MCC auditoriums – Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall and Ambedkar Bhavan. Additionally, welcome boards with Tulu script will be placed at various entry points to the city.
The mayor emphasized MCC’s stance on the language movement, clarifying that while there is no demand for a separate Tulunadu state, the call for official recognition of Tulu continues to be a priority.
“We have continuously urged the government to grant Tulu official language status and include it in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. We will also petition local MPs and MLAs to push for Tulu on the signboards at Mangaluru International Airport, New Mangalore Port, and railway stations,” he added.
Mangaluru City North MLA Y Bharath Shetty underscored the lack of recognition for Tulu, contrasting it with the official status granted to other Dravidian languages such as Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil. He called for unity among Tuluvas to secure its rightful place in the Constitution.
Dayanand Kattalsar, former chairman of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, urged Tuluvas to honor all languages while taking pride in their own.
The event also saw the participation of MCC council opposition leader Anil Kumar, former mayor K Bhaskar, corporators, and members of various Tulu organizations.
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