Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (NR)

Udupi August 20: The Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy (KTSA) has undertaken a project to teach spoken Tulu to people who were ignorant of the language and want to learn it, informed M K Sitaram Kulal, president of the academy here on Sunday August 19. 

Kulal was presiding over the inaugural function of the workshop entitled “Tulu Bhavagana” organized by the KTSA. Therein he stated with regard to the said workshop that three batches of participants had already been taught spoken Tulu.

The basic aim of the academy was to have Tulu introduced as the third language from sixth standard in schools and was working in that direction. As of date about fifty cents of land has already been provided to the academy in Mangalore.

The Academy now has plans to construct a building on the said land, which will house its office, a hall, a museum, and a library. The total cost of this project is said to be Rs 2.46 crore. The academy has set aside Rs 3 lac for the collection of Tulu manuscripts. The compilation and collection of valuable Tulu works have been done in Udupi by the Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai Samshodhana Kendra, and in Dharmasthala, and Kasaragod in Kerala.

Various programmes had been organized to make people familiar with the various aspects of Tulu culture. The academy had chosen 13 scholars to conduct research on various aspects of Tulu language, literature, history and culture. Every month two scholars or achievers from different fields will be felicitated. It was holding special lectures on Tulu language and literature in other States under the Suvarna Karnataka programme.

“Tulu Utsavs” are also being held in other states. Gujarat state will be witnessing two “Tulu Utsavs” as it will be held at Surat and Vadodara next week.

Further informed Kulal, folk teams from the erstwhile Dakshina Kannada district will also be participating in these Utsavs. “Rasagrahana Shibiras” or the appreciation camps inorder to understand the various aspects of Tulu literature and culture will also be held. Old books on Tulu language and culture were being re-published by the academy, informed Kulal.