Mysuru: Let Kambala remain as a sport and not lead to caste divide by incorporating unhealthy practices, opined renowned Kannada littérateur Devanura Mahadeva.
Responding to the pressure mounting on the state government to promulgate an ordinance on Kambala, the noted Kannada writer said, “Let Kambala remain a sport as it does not endanger human lives like Jallikattu.” He strongly resented to unhealthy practice of Panikullane associated with Kambala where the lower caste Koragas are treated like buffaloes.
Koragas are forced to get drunk the previous night, start beating the drums, make certain unhealthy sexual overtures and by dawn they consider themselves buffaloes and start running in slushy paddy fields.
The upper caste community considers this as a good practice to ensure victory for their well-fed buffaloes and promote Koraga activities to remove “ill omen”. Only after Koragas run in slushy fields, buffaloes are let into the race. Coastal writer Puroshottam Bilimale has hinted about this practice in page 46 of his book Karavali Janapada where he makes a mention of Koragas being treated worse than buffaloes.
Hence Devanura Mahadev wants Kambala to remain as a sport devoid of all unhealthy rituals attached to it. When his attention was drawn to government abolishing the age old system of Panikullane long ago legally, the progressive writer said, “I will react after going through the prevailing laws on my return from Dharwad to Mysuru.”
