Vishwa Tulu Sammelana 2018 – Dubai on November 23, 24
Dubai : Overseas Tuluvas in association with Akhila Bharatha Tulu Okkoota & Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy have jointly come up with an event ‘Vishwa Tulu Sammelana 2018 – Dubai’ to be hosted in Dubai on November 23 & 24, 2018 at Al Nasr Leisureland Ice Rink & Nashwan Hall under the License of Rhythm Events Company.
The two day event for the first time ever is being hosted outside India. All these years the same Conventions were arranged by the organizers in Mangaluru and outskirts but were all the time within the territory of Tulunadu. But this time they have arranged it outside India.
The decision was taken at a meeting held in Dubai with Sarvotham Shetty, Shodhan Prasad & Ganesh Rai who later arranged a meeting with the various Tuluva Community leaders of UAE and requested support in hosting this event in Dubai.
Shodhan Prasad presented the master plan and as per that it is a ‘Sarva Dharma Convention’ mainly highlighting Tulu Language, Culture & Folk amongst the Tulu Speaking ‘Sarva Dharma’ Communities of Tulu Nadu. With the vision to save Tulu language, Culture & Folk the core mission is to show case the importance of including the Tulu language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Currently as per Article 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution, the eighth schedule includes the recognition of around 22 languages. There are demands for inclusion of 42 more languages and Tulu stands in the bottom 42nd.
Sarvotham Shetty as Chief Coordinator held various meetings with AkhilaBharata Tulu Okkoota&Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Presidents to get moral and monetary support from the Government of Karnataka.Since it is a joint venture of the three organizers the hosts being in Dubai will do all preparations to present the event whereas the later will put every effort in getting Government of Karnataka’s grants as monetary support for the event. An initial nod from the Chief Minister has been received and await sanctions.
Accordingly the following sub-committees were formed to present the event.
SUB COMMITTEES
► Core Committee – Comprising of leaders of various community organisations
► Sub Committee – Comprising of Members from various community organisations
► Budget & Audit Committee – Comprising of Auditors & Chartered Accountants
► Members Co-ordination Committee
► Souvenir Committee
► Exhibition Committee
► Cultural & Convention Committee
► Food Committee
► Marketing & Publicity Committee
► Welcome & Volunteer Committee
► Backstage Committee
► Stage Programme& Felicitation Committee
► Time Police Committee – Who will manage the time slots
► Airport Receiving & Transport Committee
► Musical Orchestra Committee
► Al Ain Ghataka
► Abu Dhabi Ghataka
► Oman Ghataka
► Throw-ball Teams Ghataka
The whole programme will comprise of the following Cultural & Social awareness programmes:
Tulu Folk Dance Competitions
A pure GCC Level Folk Dance Competitions will be held during the event. So far 6 Teams comprising of Oman, Bahrain, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s various teams have confirmed their participations. Each team has more than 10 members and some of the team has around 28 participants of various age levels fully prepared. A total of 118 dancers will be competing in these 6 groups registered.
Joint inauguration by Heads of various religious communities of Tulu Nadu:
Padmavibhooshan Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade – Dharmadhikari of Shri. Kshetra Dharmasthala, Padmashri Dr. B R Shetty - Patron of UAE Tuluvas & Gold Sponsor, Rev. Bishop Peter Paul Saldhana of Mangalore, Rev. Bishop Henry D'Souza of Ballary, Shree Shree Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of the Ashta Mutt, Shree Shree Gurudevananda Swamiji of Odiyoor Temple, Bollywood Star Sunil Shetty, Rev. Fr. Ebnezer Jathanna of CSI Protestant Church, Abdul Salam Puthige - Chief Editor of Varthabharati, Ronald Colaco - Philanthropist and Businessman & Gold Sponsor, Dr. Mohan Alva - Founder Alvas Educational Institution Moodabidri & Promotor of Tulu, Veerappa Moily, Member of Parliament, Jayamala - Actress, Minister of Government of Karnataka, U T Khader, Minister of Government of Karnataka, MLA Umanath Kotian, Dr.Sunitha M.Shetty - Writer & Scholar, Sujat Shetty - Businessman and Silver Sponsor, Sarvotham Shetty - Chief Organiser of Vishwa Tulu Sammelana, President UAE Tuluvas, Dharmapal Devadiga -President AkhilaBharata Tulu Okkoota, A C Bhandary - President of Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Shodhan Prasad, Event Manager of Vishwa Tulu Sammelana
Sandhya Creations are the Event Manager of Vishwa Tulu Sammelana 2018 Dubai.
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UK Professor Nitasha Kaul's Overseas Citizenship of India cancelled
Academician decries move as "transnational repression"
London/New Delhi: Professor Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic, announced on May 18, 2025, via a social media post that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card has been cancelled by the Indian government. She described the move as a "bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression" intended to punish her for her scholarly work critical of the Modi government's policies concerning minorities and democracy.
The cancellation follows an incident in February 2024 when Professor Kaul, who holds a British passport and held an OCI card, was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the then Congress-led Karnataka state government to speak at a conference on "The Constitution and Unity in India."
According to an image of the letter shared by Professor Kaul, the Indian government stated that it had been "brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history." The letter further accused her of regularly targeting India and its institutions on matters of India's sovereignty through "numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms."
Professor Kaul, who is a Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the University of Westminster, London, vehemently rejects these accusations. She stated she had provided a 20,000-word response to what she termed the government's "ridiculous inanity about ‘anti-India’," but the OCI was cancelled through a "rigged process."
In her social media posts, Professor Kaul lamented the decision, questioning how the "mother of democracy" could deny her access to her mother in India. She characterized the action as stemming from "thin-skinned, petty insecurity with no respect for well-intentioned dissent."
The February 2024 denial of entry had already sparked controversy. At the time, immigration officials reportedly cited "orders from Delhi" without providing formal reasons, though Professor Kaul mentioned informal references to her past criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Ministry of External Affairs had then responded by stating that the entry of foreign nationals into India is a "sovereign decision." Unofficial government sources had indicated that a "preventive lookout circular" was issued against her due to her alleged "pro-separatist" and "anti-India" stance on Kashmir.
The BJP in Karnataka had criticised the state government for inviting her, labelling her an "anti-India element." Conversely, the then-Karnataka government and various international human rights organizations and academic bodies had condemned the denial of entry.
Professor Kaul has been an outspoken commentator on Indian politics, including the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and has testified before international bodies such as the US Congress on human rights in the region. She maintains her work is academic and pro-democracy, not anti-India.
The cancellation of her OCI card effectively bars her from entering India, a country to which she has personal and academic ties. This incident adds to a growing list of academics, journalists, and activists of Indian origin whose OCI status has been revoked or who have been denied entry to India in recent years, raising concerns about freedom of speech and dissent. Reports indicate that over 100 OCI cards were cancelled by the Indian government between 2014 and May 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, new rules were introduced requiring OCI cardholders to obtain special permission for activities such as research and journalism.
