SOUTH
Inspired by the recent Tamil Nadu ordinance allowing the bull-taming sport of jallikattu after mass protests, demands for organising the buffalo-racing sport of kambala in Coastal Karnataka have grown shriller. A Kambala Samiti has announced plans to organise kambala events in Mangaluru on January 28 despite a court order prohibiting the sport.
The Kambala Samiti held an emergency meeting in Mudabidre on January 22 and provided details of its protest plans. The samiti announced that a demonstration with around 50,000 people will be held before the kambala events on January 28; the rally would be attended by politicians and movie stars. Organisers said 200 pairs of buffaloes would be paraded for the races, which would start from 11.30AM. The samiti also announced it would file an appeal in court on January 23 to seek permission for the event.
Kambala is a folk sport popular in coastal Karnataka, in particular Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, and even Kasargod in Kerala. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has announced that it would launch a statewide campaign on kambala, with protests planned across Karnataka; demonstrations have started in Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Meanwhile, taking a clue from their counterparts in Kollywood, the Kannada film industry has called for the unity of Kannadigas by extending its support to Kambala. Actor Jaggesh in his tweet has said "Kannadigas lack the spirit of unity. Now the time has come for us to unite. Kannadigas are in no way inferior. May this fight ignite the unity in us. Let us fight for justice"
ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಒಗ್ಗಟ್ಟಿನ ಕೊರತೆಇದೆ! ಈಗಲಾದರು ಒಂದಾಗಿ!ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಯಾವುದರಲ್ಲು ಕಮ್ಮಿಯಿಲ್ಲಾ!ಶುರುವಾಗಲಿ ಒಗ್ಗಟ್ಟಿನಮಂತ್ರ!ಒಂದಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡಲಿ ನ್ಯಾಯಕ್ಕೆ!
— ನವರಸನಾಯಕ ಜಗ್ಗೇಶ್ (@Jaggesh2) January 20, 2017
Image courtesy - © James A via Flickr