Mangaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to grant Tulu the status of the state’s second official language, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced after the Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on Friday. The decision marks a major development in the long-standing demand for official recognition of Tulu in Karnataka.

Speaking at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, which continued for around three hours, Shivakumar said the government had taken the decision to recognise Tulu as the state’s second official language.

“I will not question why previous governments did not do it. We have a commitment. We do not play politics on emotions. We do it on lives,” Shivakumar said while announcing the Cabinet decision.

The announcement came during the first-ever Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru, giving added significance to the decision for the coastal region, where Tulu is widely spoken, particularly in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Long-standing demand receives Cabinet approval

The demand to recognise Tulu as an official language has been raised for several years by Tulu organisations, cultural groups, public representatives and language activists.

Ahead of the September 18 Cabinet meeting, Tulu organisations had intensified their campaign seeking official-language status for the language. A social media campaign was also organised on September 15, with groups calling for recognition of Tulu in Karnataka and Kerala.

The issue had also figured prominently among the demands submitted to the state government ahead of the Mangaluru Cabinet meeting. A BJP delegation from Dakshina Kannada, for instance, had included recognition of Tulu as the second official language among its demands submitted to the chief minister.

The state government had been considering the demand within a legal and administrative framework. On September 15, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi had said the government was seriously considering granting Tulu additional official-language status and would take necessary steps within the legal and constitutional framework.

Decision announced in Mangaluru

The Cabinet decision was announced in Mangaluru on a day that had been closely watched by Tulu-speaking communities across the coastal belt.

The state Cabinet’s decision follows years of representations seeking greater official recognition for Tulu and its use in government-related communication and administration.

Tulu organisations have also been seeking the inclusion of Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. That is a separate issue from the Karnataka government’s decision on official-language status within the state. Tulu is not among the 22 languages currently listed in the Eighth Schedule.

The Karnataka Official Language Act, 1963, currently provides for Kannada as the official language of the state and empowers the state government to specify, through notification, official purposes and areas for the use of Kannada.

The Cabinet’s decision on Tulu therefore represents a state-level policy decision; the precise administrative and legal framework through which the new status will be implemented will depend on the government’s subsequent orders and notifications.

Significance for coastal Karnataka

Tulu has a deep linguistic and cultural presence in coastal Karnataka. It is widely spoken in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and forms an important part of the region’s cultural identity.

The recognition announced by the Cabinet is therefore expected to have significance beyond language administration, particularly for literature, education, cultural institutions and preservation of the region’s linguistic heritage.

Tulu has a substantial body of oral traditions, folk arts, theatre, literature and cultural practices. Organisations working for the language have for years sought greater institutional support for its preservation and development.

The demand has also been raised in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. In a 2024 Assembly question, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai sought information on the delay in recognising Tulu as the state’s second official language and asked about the government’s position on the matter.

Cabinet meeting adds historical context

The decision came at a particularly significant moment for Mangaluru. The September 18 meeting was the first Karnataka Cabinet meeting to be held in the coastal city. The state government had convened the meeting to consider issues and proposals relating to coastal Karnataka, with representatives and organisations from the region submitting a range of demands.

Ahead of the meeting, official recognition for Tulu had emerged as one of the prominent cultural and linguistic demands from the coastal districts. The issue was also among the matters highlighted by public representatives and Tulu organisations in their interactions with the government.

The Cabinet meeting consequently became a focal point for expectations over Tulu’s status, alongside demands concerning infrastructure, tourism, connectivity, employment and other regional issues.

A new chapter for Tulu

The Cabinet’s decision is being seen as an important development in the decades-long campaign for greater recognition of Tulu within Karnataka.

For Tulu-speaking communities, the announcement provides state-level recognition to a language deeply associated with the cultural life of the coastal region. The next stage will involve translating the Cabinet decision into the necessary administrative and legal measures and determining the specific purposes and mechanisms through which the official-language status will operate.

The decision also places greater responsibility on institutions and government departments to develop appropriate systems for the preservation and promotion of Tulu.

With the announcement coming from the first Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru, the decision has added a significant linguistic dimension to an already historic day for coastal Karnataka.