A family in need of help

Mangalore, August 13: Four wooden posts wrapped around with torn jute bags make up the walls and a make-shift roof with a torn tarpaulin sheet. This is H. Ibrahim's home to you.

Staying in a pitiable condition in their make-shift house in the village of Valpadi near Moodbidri, Ibrahim and his family have to constantly brave the elements like rain, wind and the hot sun. They have nowhere to go.

Working as a trash collector, Ibrahim has five children, including two daughters. One among them is in high school, while the rest of them go to school as well. The seven of them have been staying in a tent built with plastic sheets, jute bags and tarpaulin found in trash itself.

His earnings are spent in providing education for children and food for the family. Apart from increasing the plastic cover on the tent, there is little else he can do as he is not strong enough to build a better house. When it rains, water pours in from the roof. It leaks in even through the walls. The nights are spent on rolled out plastic sheets and jute bags on the wet floor.

The household of Ibrahim has two daughters who are come of age. There is not much that the family goes on except what Ibrahim earns by collecting trash. As Ibrahim is unable to build a sturdy house by himself, they hope for some help or financial aid.

Those wanting to help, can deposit money in Ibrahim's Savings Account No. 01014633 at the Shirtadi branch of Corporation Bank. (IFSC Code – Corp 0000231). For further details, one can contact Ibrahim: 9845548872

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Historic Milestone: Tulu script gains global digital recognition with inclusion in Unicode 16

News Network

September 9,2024

Mangaluru: The Unicode Consortium has announced the inclusion of Tulu script in its latest version, Unicode 16. This update adds 80 characters to the Unicode Standard, marking a significant milestone for the Tulu-speaking community.

According to officials, the journey to this achievement began in 2001 when a member of the Unicode Consortium helped fix the Kannada script in Unicode and simultaneously advocated for the inclusion of Tulu.

Despite initial misunderstandings with the Tulu Academy in Mangaluru, the groundwork was laid for future developments. Initially, three Tulu experts had worked on the subject, including S A Krishnaiah, a Tulu scholar.

"In 2014, efforts to create a Tulu Wikipedia gained momentum, leading to its launch on August 6, 2016. By 2017, the Tulu Academy recognised the need for Tulu Unicode, forming a committee to finalise the characters with technical guidance. Concurrently, another proposal for the Tilari script was submitted," Krishnaiah said.

After extensive correspondence, the script was officially added to Unicode under the name Tulu-Tigalari. While there are minor differences between the Tulu Academy's list and the finalised Unicode version, most characters have been included. Notably, Tulu digits and some diacritic marks necessary for writing Sanskrit in Tulu script were added, he said.

According to him, the inclusion of the Tulu script in Unicode will have a significant positive impact on digital communication for Tulu speakers, including enhanced digital presence. Tulu speakers can now use their native script across various digital platforms, including social media, websites, and messaging apps, fostering a stronger online presence.

The availability of Tulu in Unicode will facilitate the creation of educational materials, such as textbooks and online courses, in the Tulu script, supporting language learning and literacy, he said.

The development of Unicode-encoded fonts, keyboard software, and converters will streamline the use of Tulu in digital communication, making it easier for users to type and share information in their native script, he said.

Being part of the Unicode Standard gives Tulu global recognition, encouraging more software and application developers to support the script, thereby increasing its usability and visibility, the Tulu scholar said.

Overall, this will empower Tulu speakers to communicate more effectively and confidently in their language, both locally and globally.

It is estimated that over 1.8 million people worldwide speak Tulu. Most Tulu speakers live in the coastal areas of Karnataka and Kerala, India, in regions known as Tulu Nadu. There are also Tulu speakers in the Gulf countries and the United States, he said.

Tulu is a Dravidian language and is related to Kannada, the official language of Karnataka. Tulu has a rich oral tradition, but there isn't much written in the language. Tulu's script is similar to Malayalam and originated from the Grantha script.

A long-drawn fight is ongoing to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Dravidian University at Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh has a special Tulu chair, he added.

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