Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SB)

Bangalore, May 30: It was time to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution for the state government has already decided to teach Tulu in school, said V Dhananjay Kumar, Karnataka's special representative in New Delhi.

He was speaking at the annual Tulu Sahitya Academy award-presentation ceremony held here on Saturday May 29 Kumar said that he would make every effort to get the language included in the Eighth Schedule. He recollected that the then defence minister George Fernandes had put earnest efforts to get Tulu included in the Eighth Schedule which was hindered by various drawback such as Tulu not being declared as state language and not gaining official language status among others.

The State has now declared that Tulu can be taught in school as the third language from standard VI onwards in parts of Chikmagalur and Shimoga apart from apart from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Home Minister V.S. Acharya said that the government and the academy would extend all support to Kumar.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri urged parents to teach their children their mother-tongue. He informed that the Tulu textbooks will be ready soon.

Awardees

The Academy Award for 2009 was presented to T Ramakrishna Shetty (research and literature), Bhoja Suvarna (Tulu theatre and film) and Kanchana Sanjeeva Rai (Tulu Yakshagana). The literary award was presented to Muddu Moodubelle (Tulu epic Kannega), Lalita Rai (Tulu novel Desantaro) and Poovappa Kaniyoor (research book Moukhika Sankathana).

Academy Chairman Palthady Ramakrishna Achar, secretary B Chandrahas Rai, and Kannada and Culture secretary Jayaramraje Urs were present.