Jai Tulunad, which has been promoting Tulu script by teaching those interested via both online and offline classes, is receiving good response.
Already, 25,000 people have learnt the Tulu script through the offline mode of teaching while 15,000 have learnt it through the online mode of classes, Jai Tulunad president Ashwath told DH.
“When we started the campaign to teach Tulu script four years ago, there was not much response. After the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy joined hands with the Jai Tulunad in promoting the script, the response has been good. The Academy issues certificates to those who complete the course with an examination,” he said.
“The organisation has been teaching Tulu script in schools. During the Covid-19 lockdown, we started online classes to those interested. Several people had shown interest in learning. For those who could not take part in the online class, we started teaching Tulu language via WhatsApp groups,” he said.
Earlier, we had three to four teachers to teach the script. Now, there are 300 to 350 teachers to teach them among the interested. To promote Tulu script, we also brought out books, including a collection of 101 poems—`Tulu Purpa’— in Tulu script, he said. Ashwath said, “We intend to reach out to the president, prime minister and chief ministers of all states through this collection of poems. We want to help Tulu in getting the recognition due and also create awareness on its script.”
Signboards in Tulu
Further, to promote Tulu script, the organisation, in association with various associations, had taken up a campaign by taking up signboards in Tulu script.
About 25% of places in Mangaluru has signboards in Tulu.
“We had also appealed to the Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner, mayor and elected representatives to take up the signboards in Tulu script at least in 30% of the places in the city. With the smart city works in progress, wherever the signboards will be mounted, we have asked the local body to use Tulu script along with Kannada and English. This, in turn, will also help those who have learnt Tulu script to recall what they have learnt,” he said.
Tulu transcription app
GenaSiri, a Tulu transcription app that will enable transcription from Kannada and Malayalam texts into Tulu, which was developed with the support of Jai Tulunad recently, has received good response. The users need to type Kannada or Malayalam texts into the app, and it will convert them into the Tulu script.
Jnanesh Deralakatte, a member of the organisation, had developed it.
“The Jai Tulunadu is working on bringing out its own application for using GenaSiri, which is now used through a link,” Ashwath said.