Tulu Nadu Poem by Praveen Kumar In Shobha Priya

A land of valour and truth, Tulu Nadu
Where Sathya, Dharma and Sankalpa, blend to a strange broth
Of pride, courage and openness,
Where love for rectitude and selfless devotion
Warp to a fierce way of life,
Where flames of pride and courageous resolve
Meet to raise an energetic land,
That sits besides his queen, the Arabian sea,
Whose waves wash and caress his feet all day,
Where no trusts ever breach, no ties ever break,
No words ever die, no promises ever reneged,
Where helpless calls see the life and death defence.

Tuluvas, a class apart in imperious state,
Tigers in all splendours of invincible might
In the jungle of pigs, donkeys and sheeps;
There are a rare rugged island of spartan folks
In the ocean of shams and deceptions,
And look around in righteous indignation;
As Billavas, Bunts, Saraswats, and Christians
As Brahmins, Muslims, Bestas or as Jains,
The threads of Tulu, Konkan, Kannada and Malayalam too,
Bind them all as Tuluva soldiers,
Who breed on Tulu earth and feed in Tulu strengths
And spread by Tulu winds to far away worlds.

When Tuluva touches a stone, a temple is born,
When a Tuluva touches tool, an industry is born;
He rises from earth and spreads to sky like a tower
To the shocks of lesser suffering lots;
The heat and sweat that warms his heart,
The rain and green that enriche his soul,
Break false sheaths to extract his true self
In dazzling fresh shine for all the world to see,
In Kolas, Yakshaganas and age-old cockfights
In Nemas, Paddhanas and Bhootharadhanas;
The fish and toddy and boiled rice in veins
Unwind his spirit for back-breaking work.

A land of distinct moods, thoughts and nature
Of distinct life, values, goals and culture,
With sea and ghats and Konkan and Malabar
On guard to fend from contaminations,
Where mothers rule, Aliya Santhana prevails,
Where years roll on solar movements,
Whose warm breeze, washed by the Arabian sea waves,
Whose rare earth, soaked with rich Tuluva soft ways,
Sprout proud great men and spawn pretty girls
And spread fields and forests, full of rich greens;
Tulu Nadu, the shield of great Indian virtues
Stands across ghats like gaint gomata statues.

The rugged Tuluvas are gentle and upright,
Who shed blood for ancestors' self-respect,
Who raise not heads and offer ready obeisance
In front of elders and noble deeds;
They seek perfection, they take greatness
And accept nothing but the topmost slot;
They fight like tigers and win or die,
But, come not down to meet in the middle;
Forces may seize them, but never caputre,
Strengths may break them, but never bend;
For, they breathe Tulu air and live on Tulu earth
And Tulu warmth and passions stream in their veins.