Tulu language advocates have renewed their demand for official status in Karnataka, urging the state government to announce a decision at the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held in Mangaluru. The groups warned that failure to act could lead to a wider movement seeking a separate Tulu state.
The demand was reiterated by representatives of Tulu organisations who said the language had been awaiting official recognition for decades. They described Tulu as a longstanding part of the region’s cultural identity and argued that government support was necessary for its preservation and public use.
Palli Vishwanath Shetty, president of Yakshataranga Bengaluru, said Tulu’s history was supported by references to its script, palm-leaf manuscripts and inscriptional evidence. He said recognition would represent respect for a tradition that advocates described as being around 2,500 years old.
The language has not received official state-language status despite repeated petitions and public appeals, according to the statements reported by Prajavani. Advocates said Tulu was more than a medium of communication and represented the cultural diversity of the coastal region.
Nischith G. Ramakunja, president of the Tulu Cultural Research Foundation, said the demand for official language status was more than five decades old. He also said the Tulu-speaking region had continued to wait for recognition despite being an important contributor to the state’s economy.
The campaign has also received support from Tulu organisations outside Karnataka. Sumanth Hebri, a founding member of Jai Tulunad, said the group’s United States chapter backed the demand. He argued that languages without administrative support from governments could face the risk of decline over time, and that official recognition could strengthen their preservation.
Other supporters framed the demand as one concerning identity and representation. Rajashree Chandrashekar of Devipura Talapady said Tulu was still awaiting recognition in the land where it was spoken and among its own communities. Janardhan Kodavoor of Udupi called on the Cabinet to take what he described as a historic decision at the Mangaluru meeting.
The advocates’ statements also included a claim that more than 15 million people speak Tulu. That figure was presented by the campaigners and was not independently substantiated in the report. The report also did not include a response from the Karnataka government or confirm whether a proposal on Tulu’s official status had been placed on the Cabinet agenda.
The immediate next step identified by the campaigners is the Karnataka Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru, where they are seeking an official announcement on the language-status demand. They said a failure to announce recognition would result in preparations for further agitation.
