Mangaluru: Karnataka govt’s decision to accord Tulu additional official-language status for administrative purposes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has renewed calls for similar recognition in Kasaragod, Keralam.Speaking to TOI, Manjeshwar MLA AKM Ashraf said he would raise the issue in the Keralam legislative assembly during the 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,” he said.Ashraf also drew attention to the Kerala Tulu Academy, saying a new committee had not been appointed and the academy had received inadequate attention during the previous CPM-led govt. He said he would take up the matter with the govt and seek adequate funding for the academy.“If a new committee is appointed and funds are provided, the academy can function effectively,” he said.S Vighnaraj, former director of the Sri Dharmasthala Culture Research Foundation, said Kasaragod had a rich body of historical evidence relating to Tulu. He said Tulu manuscripts had been found in several parts of the district, including Jodukallu, Kayyar and Perla, and referred to Tulu inscriptions at Kumbla, Bekal, Ananthapuram and Madhur.Tulu writer Kushalakshi Kanwatheertha of Manjeshwar said several cultural practices of the Tulu community had survived in the region.Recognition as a regional language could help strengthen Tulu and benefit Tulu-speaking children in education, as well as in employment and interactions with govt offices, she said. Such recognition in Keralam could also strengthen Tulu’s long-standing demand for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, she added.Utham Urlithadka, president of the Jai Tulunadu’s Kasaragod unit, said the organisation was pursuing the demand with the authorities and planned to approach the district administration, the Keralam govt and legislators.National award-winning actor Roopashree Vorkady, a Kasaragod native, said the district’s close association with Tulunadu and the Tulu language should be reflected in greater official recognition.Kasaragod has a strong Tulu-speaking community, and more research and publications on the language in the district would help create greater awareness of its linguistic and cultural history, she said. She also highlighted the significant contribution of Kasaragod artists to Tulu theatre and cinema.“Almost all artists from Kasaragod work in Tulu,” she said, adding that the language remained an important part of the region’s cultural life.Actors such as Prakash Thuminad and Roopesh Shetty are among those from Kasaragod associated with Tulu cinema and theatre.
