Even the rains couldn’t dim the spirit of Bengaluru’s first ever two-day kambala, or slush track buffalo race from coastal Karnataka, which saw the attendance of lakhs of Tuluvas residing in the city, at the Palace Grounds on Saturday.
The traditional sport with a 700-year legacy, organised by the Kambala Committee of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod (Kerala) districts and the Bengaluru Kambala Committee (BKC), saw the presence of leaders from across the political spectrum.
While former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, along with BJP leaders D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Shobha Karandlaje, attended the inauguration in the morning, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Speaker U.T. Khader addressed the gathering in the evening.
The jodu kare (double slush track) was thrown open for the event by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, wife of the late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar.
Praising the efforts of the BKC to introduce kambala to Bengaluru, Mr. Siddarmaiah called it the sport of the common people. “I had never expected to see so many people turn up for the event. I will work towards preserving this traditional sport, which is not cruel to animals like Jallikattu,” he said.
He also promised to try for official State language status for Tulu, eliciting cheers from the audience.
Puttur MLA and BKC president Ashok Kumar Rai said: “We had close to 228 registrations, but we filtered them down to 178. Close to 20-25 lakh people from Karavali live in Bengaluru. We wanted to introduce this folk sport to the entire State and the nation”.
Teething troubles
Despite being graced by big names from politics and the film industry, the first-time event was not without teething troubles.
The day began with a lean crowd figuring their way around the expansive venue. As the day wore on and the crowd swelled, confused visitors struggled to find basic amenities like washrooms and drinking water.
The organising committee had earlier estimated that about 7-8 lakh people would view the kambala, with 2,000 VVIP seats and gallery for 15,000 people. However, tempers ran high as many from the crowd jostled with security personnel to get access to the gallery to sit and watch the traditional sport.
“The organisers had claimed the entry was free, but who knew the public would have to watch the kambala on our feet all day long while only the VIPs and VVIPs got seating?” asked Sakregowda from Yelahanka, whose family of five was not allowed into the seating area. The disappointed family returned home without watching the races.
Meanwhile, a Bengaluru City Police (BCP) personnel said the confusion was because of entry passes given to the public by organisers. “There were blue passes for VIPs and red passes for VVIPs. But the organisers distributed green entry passes at the venue which led to the uncertainty and unnecessary scuffle,” said Kareem, a traffic warden with the BCP.
Joyous teams
The racing teams though seemed happy to get a chance to showcase their sport to a new audience.
“All the arrangements are as good as in our towns. There are minor issues but that doesn’t bother us. Our only concern is that the buffaloes are safe,” said Ranjith Padival, who was part of the Belavai Perodi Putthige team owned by Kaushik Dinakar Shetty.
“We have brought close to 300 litres of water from our towns in huge drums so that the change in climate and water quality does not affect their health and their performance,” he added.
Kavoordhota Sudarshan, the jockey for the team said, “The kare is suitable for running, like back home. But because of the weather, the water is a little cold compared to the coast. We just hope that next year, they can arrange for good drinking water for us and the animals.”
“I ask the animal rights activists to come down to the kare and see how well these buffaloes are taken care of. Amid rising cases of man-animal conflict, Kambala gives the message of coexistence between the two species,” said former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda in Tulu.
From 125 stalls selling products or food items showcasing the vibrant culture and cuisine of the coastal region to a group of young men getting painted in bright yellow and black stripes of Pili Vesha (tiger dance), there was something to pique the appetite and interest of everyone at Bengaluru Kambala.
