Congress MLA from Puttur, Ashok Kumar Rai emphasized the significance of Tulu academies established by both Union and state governments, further bolstering the case for official recognition.The persistent call to grant official language status to Tulu in the state of Karnataka resurfaced during the ongoing assembly session. Coastal Karnataka’s MLAs on Tuesday demanded the recognition of Tulu as the second official language in the state, citing its immense popularity and widespread influence among over one crore people, people familiar with the matter said.
Congress MLA from Puttur, Ashok Kumar Rai, emphasised the assembly of the report submitted by Mohan Alva’s committee to the government, proposing Tulu’s inclusion as an official language. Rai emphasized the significance of Tulu academies established by both the Union and state governments, further bolstering the case for official recognition.

“More than one crore people in Karnataka speak Tulu language. Not only within Karnataka but neighbouring Kerala also boasts a Tulu academy. Even in the United States, several universities offer forms in the Tulu language. The report by Mohan Alva’s committee has been submitted, and this is the right time to declare Tulu as one of Karnataka’s official languages,” Rai said addressing the assembly.

The call to make Tulu the second official language received widespread support from several other MLAs, with Speaker UT Khader endorsing the proposal, emphasizing the need to preserve and celebrate the linguistic diversity of Karnataka.
Kannada and culture minister Shivaraj Tangadi assured the assembly that a decision would be made after consultations with relevant departments. A committee was already established to assess the feasibility of granting official status to Tulu, and their report had been submitted a few months ago. “The committee recommended seeking opinions from concerned departments before reaching a final decision,” he said.
The Tulu language, spoken by over 1.8 million people in the state, has been a point of contention for activists who argue that it has not received the recognition it deserves. Despite being one of the Pancha Dravida Bhashas– the five prominent languages of South India–Tulu has not been included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution as an official language, unlike Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu.
Tulu, primarily spoken in the Tulunadu region, encompassing coastal Karnataka and parts of Kerala, is considered a vulnerable language according to the Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, published by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Check, seasonseasons.com

Dayanand Kattalsar, president of Tulu Sahithya Academy, stressed that Tulu should not be mischaracterized as a dialect but recognized for its distinct script and language. He asserted that official status would help preserve the identity and literature of the Tulu-speaking community. “The script and the language are different. One of the reasons why we are demanding official status is so that we are able to preserve our identity and our literature,” he said.

Efforts to promote Tulu within the region have gained momentum, with the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy actively endorsing Tulu as the third optional language in over 200 schools across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in coastal Karnataka.