Tulu Gets Second Official Language Status in Karnataka

The Karnataka government has granted Tulu the status of the second additional administrative language in the State.
The status applies specifically to the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, where Tulu is widely spoken.
The government will allocate Rs 82 lakh annually for translation, training, and other activities related to the use of Tulu.

The decision implements the recommendations of a committee headed by educationist M. Mohan Alva.
The committee was appointed in 2023 to study the state of Tuluva culture and language and recommend pathways for its official recognition.

Article 345: Empowers a State Legislature to formally adopt Hindi or any regional language in use within the state as its official language(s) for administrative purposes.
Article 347: Grants the President of India the authority to direct the official recognition of a language across an entire state or a specific district if a substantial proportion of the population demands it.
Eighth Schedule: Currently recognizes 22 languages; Tulu remains outside it despite long-standing demands for its inclusion.

Linguistic Lineage: Tulu is a prominent Dravidian language, often counted among the 'Pancha-Dravida' (Proto-Dravidian) languages, alongside Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam.
Script: The region developed its own indigenous writing system known as the Tulu script (Tigalari) — a Southern Brahmic script that evolved from the medieval Grantha script.
Geographical Spread: Spoken in the 'Tulunadu' region, comprising the coastal districts of Karnataka (the Karavali region) and parts of Kasaragod district in northern Kerala.
Cultural Significance: Rich oral tradition intertwined with local folklore, theatre (Yakshagana), rituals like Bhuta Kola, and ancient epic poetry.
Historical Context: Prior to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Tulu-speaking regions were under the Madras Presidency before being merged into the unified Mysore state (now Karnataka).

Administrative inclusion: Enables use of Tulu in official communication in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, improving governance accessibility for Tulu speakers.
Cultural preservation: Dedicated funding supports translation, training, and documentation of Tulu's oral and literary heritage.
Eighth Schedule debate: Strengthens the case for Tulu's inclusion among the 22 scheduled languages, a demand raised by linguistic communities for decades.
Federal language policy: Illustrates the working of India's multilevel language recognition framework — state-level adoption (Article 345) and district-level recognition (Article 347).