Tulu as additional official language of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka | Explained
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner has recognised Tulu as an independent language of India ever since the department was established, and the Census Report gives statistics about Tulu speakers as a separate linguistic community
On September 18, the Karnataka government decided in a Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru to grant Tulu, an additional official language status in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the status will be applicable to administrative matters in these districts, with district administrations tasked to implement the decision. The state will allocate ₹82 lakh annually for translation, training, and language usage purposes.
Former Project Director of the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada, B. Shivarama Shetty, mentioned that elected representatives can speak in Tulu at various body meetings, and government documents will have Tulu alongside Kannada. People can submit applications in Tulu to government departments, and officials who don’t know Tulu may depend on translations or learn basics of the language.
The Tulu language has a history of over 2,000 years, with evidence from ancient Greek papyrus and Tamil Sangam literature. Scholars have concluded that it developed as an independent language since about 8th century B.C. The language uses the Kannada script, and Tulu Wikipedia, established in 2016, has 4,000 articles and 35 active editors. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner have recognized Tulu as an independent language of India.
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