Karnataka grants Tulu additional official language status in 2 coastal districts

Karnataka has granted Tulu the status of an additional official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar announced on Friday.

The decision was taken at the first Cabinet meeting held in the coastal city, at the Praja Soudha building. It fulfils a long-standing demand for formal recognition of Tulu in the region, where it is widely spoken.

“Considering the demand of the people of undivided Dakshina Kannada, we have decided to announce Tulu as an additional official language of the state. It will be treated as an additional official language in undivided Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts,” Shivakumar told reporters after the meeting.

Tulu is a Dravidian language with a history of more than 2,000 years and is spoken by nearly one crore people globally, with its principal base in the undivided Dakshina Kannada and Udupi regions and parts of Kasaragod.

Shivakumar said the government had chosen to focus on the lives and needs of people rather than revisit why previous governments had not acted on the demand.

“I am not going to question why earlier governments failed to consider Tulu as the second language. Our government considers the baduku (life) and not the bhavane (sentiments) of the people. Therefore, a region grows when a language is given recognition,” he said.

The Cabinet also discussed a proposal to rename Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru.

“We discussed this during the Cabinet meeting, and public opinion will be collected alongside a formal debate. A decision on this will be taken within a month,” Shivakumar said.

The language decision came as the government held its first Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru, with coastal districts having sought action on a range of long-pending demands.