Rev Deepak Victor Shantharaj, pastor in-charge, CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna and Rev Sebastian K Jathana, deputy presbyter of CSI Shanthi Cathedral, Balmatta, at a Sunday prayer at CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna in Mangaluru, sing a Hymn in Tulu along with choir team
Rev Deepak Victor Shantharaj, pastor in-charge, CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna and Rev Sebastian K Jathana, deputy presbyter of CSI Shanthi Cathedral, Balmatta, at a Sunday prayer at CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna in Mangaluru, sing a Hymn in Tulu along with choir team Rev Deepak Victor Shantharaj, pastor in-charge, CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna and Rev Sebastian K Jathana, deputy presbyter of CSI Shanthi Cathedral, Balmatta, at a Sunday prayer at CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna in Mangaluru, sing a Hymn in Tulu along with choir team Benet G Ammanna, retired archival assistant of Karnataka Theological College and a former member of the Tulu Sahitya Academy, said Tulu continues to resonate in Sunday worship across Church of South India (CSI) churches in the coastal districts. “During Sunday prayers, known as ‘Aradhane’, around five hymns are usually sung, of which two are in Tulu,” he said. Rev Deepak Victor Shantharaj, pastor in-charge of CSI Vishranthi Church, Bokkapatna, said that although Sunday mass is conducted in Kannada, sermons are occasionally delivered in Tulu, considering the language’s prevalence among local communities.
In some rural churches, the entire prayer service, including the sermon, locally known as ‘Prasanga’ or ‘Bodhane’, is conducted in Tulu. The language also connects Tulu-speaking communities living away from their homeland with their cultural and religious roots. Some people settled in Mumbai and Gulf countries can speak Tulu but cannot read Kannada. They use transliterated versions of prayers to participate in worship in a language they understand, he added. Choir teams also sing two to four hymns in Tulu.