Why In News?

The Karnataka Cabinet approved Tulu as the second additional administrative language for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

What Is Tulu?

Dravidian Language: Tulu is an ancient South Dravidian language belonging to the Pancha-Dravida group alongside Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. Renowned linguist Robert Caldwell highlighted Tulu as one of the most highly developed tongues within the Dravidian family.

Tulu-Speaking Region: Native speakers are concentrated in the coastal region known as Tulunadu, spanning Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka, as well as parts of Kasaragod district in Kerala. 

  • According to official census statistics, Tulu has 1,846,427 native speakers in India (approx. 1.85 million), with global usage estimates reaching nearly 10 million people.

Cultural Identity: Tulu forms the socio-cultural bedrock of coastal Karnataka, inextricably linked with folk art traditions, oral epics (Paddanas), theater (Yakshagana), and spiritual rituals like Daivaradhane / Bhuta Kola.

Tulu Literary Tradition: Tulu maintains a rich oral literary tradition including epic folk poetry (Paddanas) and historical folk narratives. 

  • Epigraphic evidence, including the 1159 AD Sri Veeranarayana Temple inscription under Alupa King Kulashekhara I and the Belmannu Copper Plates, documents historical administrative and literary usage alongside Kannada under ruling dynasties such as the Alupas, Chowtas, and Ajilas.

Tulu Script Tradition: Traditionally recorded in the Tigalari script (or traditional Tulu script), which was historically employed for religious manuscripts and temple inscriptions.

  • Modern preservation groups, such as Jai Tulunad, have actively revitalized the script through free learning initiatives, standardizing fonts (Tulu Baravu, Mandara), and creating automated transcription tools (GenaSiri) and online dictionaries (Kopparige).

What Is the New Status?

Additional Official Language: The Karnataka Cabinet approved designating Tulu as the second additional administrative language within designated coastal districts.

Administrative Use: Official recognition enables Tulu to be used for routine public communication, administrative document translation, staff training, and service delivery in local government offices.

  • The state government authorized an annual budgetary allocation of Rs 82 lakh dedicated to administrative translation and government employee training.

Territorial Scope: The designation applies strictly within the territorial jurisdiction of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, rather than state-wide.

Constitutional Provision Related to Official Language

Article 343: Governs the official language of the Union (Hindi in Devanagari script, with English as an associate medium). State-level regional administrative language decisions fall under separate constitutional mechanisms.

Article 345: Empowers a State Legislature to adopt by law any one or more languages in use within the state for all or any designated official administrative purposes.

Article 347: Authorizes the President of India to direct a state government to grant official recognition to a language spoken by a substantial proportion of its population if a formal demand is presented.

Eighth Schedule: The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India currently recognizes 22 Scheduled Languages. 

  • Tulu remains an unscheduled language despite having more native speakers (1.85 million) than scheduled languages like Manipuri (1.76 million) and Sanskrit (24,821). Cultural organizations continue to advocate for its national constitutional inclusion (#TuluTo8thSchedule).

Language and State Administration: Sections 2 and 3 of the Karnataka Official Languages Act, 1963 designated Kannada as the sole official language of Karnataka, with English as a supporting medium. 

  • Granting additional district-level administrative status under Article 345 creates a supportive framework for Tulu without compromising Kannada's state-wide primacy.

Source: THEHINDU

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the constitutional provisions for official languages in India:

  1. Article 345 empowers a State Legislature to adopt any language in use in the State as an official language for regional administrative purposes.

  2. Article 347 gives the President the power to direct a State to recognize a language spoken by a substantial section of its population.

  3. A language must be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution before a State Government can grant it official language status under Article 345.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 2 and 3 only 

(c) 1 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Answer: (a) 

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Article 345 of the Constitution of India enables state legislatures to adopt one or more languages in use in the state for official administrative purposes.

Statement 2 is correct: Article 347 of the Constitution of India empowers the President to officially recognize a language spoken by a substantial section of a population if demanded.

Statement 3 is incorrect: States can grant official or second administrative language status to any language spoken within their territory under Article 345 regardless of whether it is listed in the Eighth Schedule.