Tulu calendar 'Kaala Konde', for the year 2020 with words and numerals in Tulu script, was released by Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Chairman Dayananda Kattalsar in Mangaluru on Thursday.

The calendar is published by Rashtriya Computer Saksharatha Samiti.

Addressing mediapersons at Patrika Bhavan, Samiti President Pravinraj S Rao said that the calendar was being published by the Samiti since 2013.

Odiyuru Seer Gurudevananda Swami had named the calendar as 'Kaala Konde' and had also released the first issue. The calendar is being brought out every year since then, he said.

"The objective behind the publication of the calendar is to popularise the usage of Tulu script and to provide information on the days of prominence in Tulunadu", he said.

Emphasizing on the need to establish Tulu script and make it more convenient for digital usage, Rao said that the first software for typing in Tulu script, 'Taulava', was released by Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade, on the occasion of World Tulu Convention.

Since then the computerised script is being revised to include more features under the guidance of scholars such as Dr Palthadi Ramakrishna Achar, Dr Venkatraj Punchittaya, Dr Vighnaraj Dharmasthala and Dr Radhakrishna Bellur, Rao added.

The recent version of the software 'Taulava 5.0' has come out and a website dedicated to Tulu language, Tulu.live, will be released in the near future, he said.

"The website intends to teach Tulu language and grammar with the help of multimedia."

Dayananda Kattalsar called upon all the scholars and Tuluvas to forget their differences and come together to strive for the development of Tulu.

Noting that there are differences in the usage of Tulu script by various people, he said there was a need to bring a uniformity in the usage of the script.

The academy chairman meanwhile stated that he was planning to convene a meeting of scholars and stakeholders in this regard. This is necessary to make Tulu script academically strong.