Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Sep 12: Rahim Uchil, president of Karnataka Byari Sahitya Academy said that an independent script is developed for the Byari language, which is spoken in the coastal part of Karnataka and Kerala.

Throwing light on the subject in a press conference in the city on Friday September 11, Rahim said, "Earlier Byari language literature, which has a rich history of 1400 years, was being written in Kannada script. A team of 11 experts worked for the past six months and got an independent script developed for the language.

"Efforts were being put for the past 10 years to develop an independent script for the Byari language. Abdul Samad Bawa Puttur and Dr Mohammed Fauzeed Calicut took a keen interest in this matter and tried to introduce the new script through the academy. The new committee of the academy which was nominated last year formed a separate committee to implement this project.

"Scholar Abdul Rashid Zaini Kamil Sakhafi, associate lecturer Dr Aboobacker Siddique, associate lecturer Hyder Ali, lecturer Abdul Razak Anantadi, editor A K Kukkila, Dr Mohammed Fauzid Calicut, Abdul Samad Bawa Puttur, literateur Abdul Rahiman Kutthetturu and journalist Hamza Malar were in the committee.

"An appeal is sent to the state government to allow Byari language to be studied as a third language from third grade. According to the survey done by the education department, more than 3,700 students in the district of Dakshina Kannada have shown interest in the study of Byari language.

"In this script, which does not have any imported language alphabets in it, there are 46 alphabets, including 13 vowels, 25 structured consonants and eight unstructured consonants. All consonants have akshara or Kagunita. Numbers from 0 to 9 and 12 months are introduced as Byari months."

Academy registrar Poornima, members of the implementation committee, Roopashree Varkadi and Samshir Budolli were present.