Mangaluru : The government should include Tulu in the eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution Said Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari and Vishwa Tuluvere Parba Honourary President D Veerendra Heggade.

Speaking at the Vishwa Tuluvere Parba 2014, a three-day Tulu language and cultural fest, at Sahyadri College in Adyar here on Friday, Dec.12 he urged the people of Tulunadu to remain stress-free with regard to this issue as there were four ministers from Dakshina Kannada to represent Tuluvas and Tulu at the state and the national-level.

He also said that UNESCO in its report has said that Tulu language is on the verge of extinct. The conferences like Vishwa Tulu Parba will help in the growth of the language.

The contribution of Gowd Sarawats, Catholics and Muslims among others towards the growth of Tulu and urged people to live and work in peace and harmony, he said.

About Kambala ban, he said in the name of belief animals are slaughtered in several temples in the state. Compared to the violence involved in it, there is less violence in Kambala, he said.

Heggade said that communal harmony is the strength of Tuluvas. On recent communal flare-ups, he said that all the problems should be solved amicably. The communal harmony between the communities should not be disturbed. “In the past people were not ready to speak in Tulu. However, now they are proud to introduce themselves as Tuluvas. The people of the land who are working outside the country have contributed to the welfare of their mother land. They have helped in the renovation of temples and daivasthanas in the region.

In his inaugural speech, Tirupati Venkaramana Temple chief priest Ramana Deekshith said that it is the duty of younger generation to protect and develop Tulu language and pass on the culture to the future generation.

Mangaluru North MLA Moideen Bava said that people from Tulunadu had, and have been contributing immensely in various fields be it banking, movies or medicine in India as well as overseas. He called the Tuluvas to keep up the good work and strive for the betterment of Tulunadu.

Young artist Chitramitra drew a picture of Veerendra Heggade’s face during the speech of Vishwa Tuluvere Parba Convenor B Jayakara Shetty Indrali.

Sahyadri Institutions President Manjunath Bhandary, Mayor Mahabala Marla, Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy President M Janaki Brahmavara, Vishwa Tuluvere Parba President Dharmapala U Devadiga were present.

Stalls spread across the 20-acre land in the college campus were in anticipation of the crowd rushing into them. However to their dismay, one could hardly count the customers’ heads irrespective of the popularity and the itinerary in the stalls on the inaugural day. The controversies surrounding the event may perhaps have taken a toll on the business here.