Mangaluru: Riding high on the Karnataka cabinet’s decision taken at the Mangaluru cabinet meeting to recognise Tulu as the second additional official language for administrative and government purposes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, Tulu organisations are preparing to celebrate Tulu Script Day with a series of events across the coastal region.Observed annually on Oct 10, Tulu Script Day marks the birth anniversary of Venkataraja Puninchathaya, noted scholar, researcher and author who devoted his life to the preservation and promotion of the Tulu language and literature. Organisations including the Tulu World Foundation, Tuluva Mahasabha and several local bodies will organise programmes to create awareness about the script and encourage its use among younger generations.Rajesh Alva, founder of Tulu World Foundation, said the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy had declared Oct 10 as Tulu Script Day in honour of Puninchathaya. He said a variety of programmes would be held across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod and other places on Oct 9 and 10.“Puninchathaya made monumental contributions to preserving, teaching and promoting the Tulu script. Our aim is to popularise the ancient Tulu script, also known as Tigalari, among the younger generation. Events will be organised at Mulki, Karkala, Kasaragod and several other locations,” he said.According to Alva, while many people use Kannada, Malayalam or English scripts to write Tulu, efforts are being made to revive wider use of the language’s traditional script. He noted that numerous historical documents provide evidence of the rich legacy of the Tulu script and that continued research could reveal more about the language’s history and evolution.The celebrations will also highlight Puninchathaya’s contributions to Tulu literature and scholarship.Meanwhile, the Tuluva Mahasabha has directed its state, district, zonal and local units to organise at least one programme in their respective jurisdictions. Planned activities include introductions to Tulu Lipi, training workshops, Puninchathaya memorial meetings, lectures on the history of the script, Tulu script writing competitions for students, book exhibitions and awareness campaigns aimed at promoting the use and preservation of the script.
