List of Tulu people

This is a list of notable people who belong to an ethnic Tuluva community and who natively speak the Tulu language.

Journalists

• Kayyar Kinhanna Rai – Indian independence activist and writer
• V. T. Rajshekar – founder and editor of the Dalit Voice
• K. K. Shetty – freedom fighter (was the editor of Navayuga for a short period)
• Mumthaaz Nelliadka - News anchor in TV Vikrama
• Jaya Prakash Shetty - News Anchor in Republic Kannada

Freedom fighters

• Kedambadi Ramaiha Gowda
• Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
• Ammembala Balappa
• Abbakka Chowta
• Karnad Sadashiva Rao
• Ubaar Manja Baidyer
• Shrivinasa Upadhyaya Paniyaadi (S.U. Paniyaadi)
• Satyamitra Bangera
• K.K Shetty
• Krishnaraya Kodgi
• Aerya Lakshminarayana Alva
• Mulki Ramakrishna Poonja
• V.N.Shenoy
• Kayyara Kinhanna Rai
• Barrister Attavara Shilpa
• Bantakal Lakshminarayana Sharma

Judiciary and lawyers

• K. S. Hegde – former speaker of Lok Sabha; former judge of the Supreme Court of India
• N. Santosh Hegde – Karnataka Lokayuktha; former judge of the Supreme Court of India
• Rohini Salian – public prosecutor
• Kalmanje Jagannatha Shetty (1926–2015), former judge, Supreme Court of India and former chief justice, Allahabad High Court
• Kedambadi Jagannath Shetty – former judge of Karnataka High Court

Literature, philosophy, and religion

• P. Gururaja Bhat – historian and writer of Tulunadu
• Bannanje Govindacharya – Vedic scholar
• Ratnavarma Heggade
• Veerendra Heggade – philanthropist
• Padmanabh Jaini - Scholar of Buddhiam and Jainism
• M.K.Seetharam Kulal – Tulu-Kannada dramatist, poet; Karnataka State Tulu Sahithya Academy Award (2014)
• Madhvacharya – proponent of Dvaita (Dwaita) philosophy
• Muddana – poet
• Venkataraja Puninchathaya – scholar
• Kayyar Kinhanna Rai – poet and activist
• Bola Chittaranjan Das Shetty – writer
• Vishwesha Teertharu (Pejavara Shreegalavaru)
• Vadiraja Tirtha - Dvaita philosopher

Health care

• B. M. Hegde – educationist and surgeon
• Dinker Belle Rai – Indian American vascular surgeon, inventor, athlete and philosopher
• Devi Shetty – philanthropist and surgeon
• Shantharam Shetty – orthopaedic surgeon
• K. N. Udupa – Padma Shri recipient

Politics

• V. S. Acharya – former home minister, Karnataka state and former member of Karnataka legislative assembly and council
• A. Shanker Alva – former member of Parliament, Mangalore
• K. Nagappa Alva – former member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1970–1976) and health minister, Karnataka State (1962–1967)
• Raghupati Bhat – former member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.), elected from Udupi constituency
• D. V. Sadananda Gowda – former Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, former Minister of Law and Justice, Former Minister of Railways, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• K. Jayaprakash Hegde – former member of Parliament
• Shobha Karandlaje – member of Parliament, Udupi Lok sabha constituency, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries
• V. Dhananjay Kumar – former Union Minister
• Nalin Kumar Kateel – member of Parliament of Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency and former President of BJP-Karnataka
• Manorama Madhwaraj – former member of Parliament, Udupi; former MLA Udupi
• Lalaji Mendon – MLA, Kaup Vidhansabha
• Veerappa Moily – former Chief Minister of Karnataka, member of the 16th Lok Sabha
• Janardhana Poojary – former Union Minister of State for Finance
• I. Rama Rai – former member of Parliament, Kasaragod
• Ramanath Rai – Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology
• Kumble Sundara Rao – former MLA of Surathkal constituency
• Halady Srinivas Shetty – MLA 2013 assembly for Kundapura, Karnataka
• I. M. Jayarama Shetty – former member of Parliament, Udupi
• K. K. Shetty – former member of Parliament, Mangalore
• Suresh Shetty – MLA, Andheri (East), Maharashtra
• B. Nagaraja Shetty – former Minister and MLA of Bantwal constituency, Karnataka

Artists

• K. K. Hebbar – painter
• Kudroli Ganesh - Magician
• Prakash Shetty – cartoonist
• Sudarshan Shetty (born 1961) – artist
• R. Verman – art director

Film directors and producers

• Ranjith Bajpe – film director and screenwriter, known for his work in Tulu cinema
• Anup Bhandari – film director, music director, lyricist and playback singer
• Ramchandra P. N. – filmmaker
• Manmohan Shetty – founder of Adlabs Films
• Raj B. Shetty
• Rakshit Shetty
• Rohit Shetty – film director and producer
• B. Vittalacharya – film director of Kannada, Telugu-language cinema

Actors

• Pruthvi Ambaar
• Anushree
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
• Neha Shetty
• Anup Bhandari
• Nirup Bhandari
• Aravind Bolar
• Harini (Kannada actress)
• Pooja Hegde
• Kalpana (Kannada actress)
• Arjun Kapikad
• Leelavathi (actress)
• Vishal Kotian – Indian film and television actor
• Naveen D. Padil
• Shubha Poonja
• Vinaya Prasad
• Radhika
• Vinay Rai
• Prakash Raj
• Anushka Shetty
• Avantika Shetty
• Athiya Shetty
• Dayanand Shetty
• Dheekshith Shetty
• Krithi Shetty
• M. B. Shetty – 1970s Bollywood actor
• Rakshit Shetty – Kannada actor, director
• Rishab Shetty
• Vinod Kumar Alva
• Rohit Shetty
• Shamita Shetty
• Shilpa Shetty
• Srinidhi Shetty – Miss Supranational 2016
• Suniel Shetty
• Yagna Shetty
• Suman
• Bhojaraj Vamanjoor

Music

• Sandeep Chowta – music director
• Kadri Gopalnath – saxophonist
• Gurukiran – music director
• Ganesh Hegde – singer, performer, video director and Bollywood choreographer
• Manikanth Kadri – film score and soundtrack composer and singer
• V. Manohar – music director, lyricist, film director and actor
• Vittal Ramamurthy – violinist
• Shweta Shetty – pop singer
• Vidyabhushana – singer

Science and technology

• Vittal Rai – scientist
• Rajini Rao – physiologist
• Udupi Ramachandra Rao: scientist
• Kalidas Shetty – food scientist
• H. V. K. Udupa – electrochemical scientist

Sports

• Ashwini Akkunji – national-level athlete
• Ashish Ballal – former captain of the Indian Field Hockey team and Arjuna awardee
• Budhi Kunderan – cricketer
• Mamatha Poojary – kabadi player
• Nikhil Poojary – footballer
• Satheesha Rai – weightlifter, Olympian and Arjuna awardee
• Tanush Kotian – cricketer
• Shodhan Rai – international bodybuilder and Ekalavya Award winner
• Vandana Rao – national sprinter, 1990s
• Chirag Shetty – badminton player
• Pooja Shri Shetty – karateka
• Vikrant Shetty – United Arab Emirates cricketer
• Gundibail Sunderam – cricketer
• Siddhanth Thingalaya – national sprinter
• Shreyas Iyer - Indian Cricketer

Bankers

• U. R. Bhat – director of Karnataka Bank
• A. B. Shetty – founder of Vijaya Bank and politician
• Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty – chairman of Vijaya Bank
• V. P. Shetty – chairman of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt. Ltd., JM Financial Asset Management Co. Pvt. Ltd. and JM Financial Products Ltd.

Business persons

• Muthappa Rai – businessman
• A. B. Shetty (1883–1960) – founder of Vijaya Bank
• Ajit Shetty – Belgian businessman; former chairman of the board of directors of Janssen Pharmaceutica
• B. R. Shetty – CMD New Medical Centre, billionaire; Padma Shri recipient
• Devi Shetty – founder of Narayana Health
• Manmohan Shetty – founder of Adlabs Imagica
• Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty – chairman of Vijaya Bank
• R. N. Shetty – CMD RNS Infrastructure and hereditary administrator of Murudeshwara Shiva Temple
• Raj Shetty – founder of Ramee Hotels: a billionaire hotelier from Dubai

War heroes

• Dinesh Chandra Bhandary – Vir Chakra recipient

Gallery

References