For official language status, Tulu speakers launch massive campaign

Tulu-speaking people in Karnataka are looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Mangaluru.

Several organisations are using Modi’s visit to raise a long-standing demand to include their language Tulu in the eighth schedule of the Constitution and make it an official language in the state of Karnataka and Kerala. In fact, the Tulu groups plan to conduct major Twitter and postcard campaigns from August 30 to September 1, to get his government’s attention on the issue.

This fight to get recognition for Tulu, a Dravidian language, which some scholars suggest has a history that dates back 2,000 years ago, goes back to 1928.

In that year, the Tulu Mahasabha was started to get the Tulu language recognised. In 2003, though efforts were made to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, only Bodi, Dohgri, Maithili and Santali languages were incorporated.

According to the Tulu organisations, Tulu-speaking people are larger in number than speakers of a few languages that were recognised in the Constitution. Tulu language is eligible to be recognised under the Eighth Schedule and yet they have failed somewhere to get Tulu language its due prominence, they feel.

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The history of the Tulu language

A Dravidian language, Tulu has a rich oral literature tradition with folk-song forms like paddana, and traditional folk theatre yakshagana. Robert Caldwell (1814-1891), in his book, A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages, called Tulu “one of the most highly developed languages of the Dravidian family”.

The annual buffalo race, the Kambala, also stems from Tulu culture.

The demand for Tulu Nadu

The Tulu-speaking community also has a political party, Tuluvere Paksha (TP), which has been recognised by the Election Commission of India in 2021.

The party has been formed to fulfill the aspirations of Tulu-speaking communities and to secure identity for Tulu Nadu, its culture, language and tradition. Besides, demanding that Tulu be recognised as an official Indian language, these native Tulu speakers mainly found in two coastal districts of Karnataka – Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi and the northern parts of Kasaragod district of Kerala, also want a separate state – Tulunadu. A few areas in Malnad too have Tulu speaking people.

The TP party believes that when the country was re-organised based on languages, Tulu Nadu was partly shared among Kerala and Karnataka. And, when a separate state was granted to Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada-speaking people, why was not a separate state given for Tulu Nadu?

The party demands a separate statehood for Tulu Nadu by unifying Tulu-speaking areas in Kasargod, DK, Udupi and Malnad districts and demand the inclusion of Tulu language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. The 2011 Census report shows that there are 18,46,427 Tulu-speaking people in India.

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Battle for official status for Tulu language

Over the years, several organisations have cropped up such as Jai Tulunad, Tulunad Okkuta, Tuluver Kudla, Yuva Tulunad, Tulupiedia, Tulunadu Nirmana Sene, Tuluvas Council, among others, to achieve the goal of getting official recognition for their language Tulu.

According to the Karnataka Local Authorities (Official Language) Act, 1981, if a language other than Kannada spoken by more than 15 per cent of  the population, it can be used as an official language, claim the representatives.

They cite the example of a small state like Sikkim, which seems to have so many official languages. There has been an unnecessary delay in including Tulu, which has all the characteristics to be made an official language, they feel.

According to a spokesperson of Yuva Tulunad, the officials and elected representatives are citing technical issues in getting recognition for Tulu. If the technical issues are made known to the public, then we will find a solution and provide all the inputs required for overcoming the technical issue.

Support for Tulu language

More than 2.5 lakh people on June 13, 2021, came out in support of a Twitter campaign to give an official language status to Tulu in Kerala and Karnataka. Politicians, too, have pitched in. Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP Karnataka President Nalin Kumar Kateel had once tweeted: “Efforts and talks are on to include Tulu in the eighth schedule. A few technical issues need to be sorted out. All efforts will be made to announce Tulu as the official language during our tenure itself.”

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Kannada film actors and native Tulu speakers Pruthvi Ambaar and Rakshit Shetty have also supported a Twitter campaign for giving official language status to Tulu. In fact, every year, around 5 to 7 Tulu language movies are produced and screened every day across theatres in Udupi and Mangaluru.

Twitter campaign kicks off to get official recognition for Tulu language

On the eve of PM Modi’s visit, on Tuesday, August 30, representatives of the Tulu organisations told the media that a Twitter campaign will be launched seeking official recognition for Tulu language in Karnataka, and also to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Hashtags like #TuluTo8thSchedule and #TuluOfficialinKA_KL are trending on Twitter with the demand.

PM Modi’s visit seems to fan the hopes of the Tulu people. “As the Prime Minister is coming to Tulunadu, the expectations of Tulu people are high. It seems that he is coming to Tulunadu only to announce the legal status of Tulu,” said Jayaprasad on Twitter, tagging the handles of PM Modi, HMO India, CM of Karnataka, Nalin Kateel etc.

Meanwhile, some organisations such as Tuluver Kudla have initiated a postcard campaign from September 1, which will commence from Banjarmale, one of the remotest villages in DK. The postcards will be addressed to PM Modi and the groups plan to send out 1 lakh postcards to him.

Anyone who has a love for Tulunadu and Tulu can send the postcard to the PM. These groups are not seeking any political gain or seeking separate statehood and just want recognition for the Tulu language, said the members of the organisations.