A new keyboard enabling direct typing in the Tulu script has been launched for Android smartphones, significantly enhancing digital communication for the language in coastal Karnataka. Named Kural Tulu Touch, this keyboard was developed by software engineers Harshith Devadiga and Chaithra Poojary and was officially introduced during the Tulunada Janapada Sambhrama event organized by the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy in Bengaluru.
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The Kural Tulu Touch keyboard is currently accessible via the Baravu Saravu app. After being activated through the "New Keyboard" option, users can type in Tulu script across various applications, including WhatsApp. It also allows users to switch between Tulu and other keyboards, and convert text into shareable stickers.
Designed with a user-friendly mobile keyboard layout, Kural Tulu Touch supports Tulu letters, numbers, gunithakshara, and votthakshara, facilitating accurate word formation and character combinations. Developers aimed to make Tulu script practical for daily digital use beyond educational or archival functions. The keyboard's development took about two weeks, utilizing Flutter for the application and Firebase for the backend.
This initiative builds on a previous Tulu-learning application developed by the team three years ago. Harshith Devadiga noted that a significant technical challenge involved accurately mapping the Tulu font to the keyboard layout for ease of character identification on smartphone screens. Sharath Kodavoor, a founding member of Jai Tulunad, emphasized the importance of precise character mapping to prevent user confusion.
In addition to the keyboard functionality, the Baravu Saravu app serves as a comprehensive Tulu-learning platform, featuring a Tulu dictionary, basic sentences, audio learning materials, and heritage photographs. Users are encouraged to suggest new words for the dictionary, which undergo review before integration.
Banashri Avinash, who contributed Tulu-script educational content to the app, highlighted that the platform offers valuable resources for those interested in learning and practicing the traditional script. The keyboard supports a digital future for the Tulu script by building on its inclusion in the Unicode Standard, which incorporated 80 Tulu characters in Unicode 16 in 2024, thus enabling the creation of compatible fonts and keyboards.
The Kural Tulu Touch keyboard is presently available only for Android devices, with plans for an iOS version to follow.