Published Nov 22, 2023 | 5:12 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 22, 2023 | 5:12 PM
A participant at a Kambala race in coastal Karnataka. (Priya Darshan/iStock)
For the first time, Kambala, the buffalo race on mud track from coastal Karnataka, will happen in Bengaluru on 25 and 26 November at the Palace Grounds, organisers of the event — marred by some controversy over the invitation extended to tainted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan — said on Wednesday, 22 November.
Along with Kambala, the organisers have decided to recreate the entire coastal Karnataka “culture” in the state capital during the event.
“It was our commitment and dream to bring Kambala from Tulunadu, spread from Kasaragod to Maravanthe beach, to Bengaluru. We are also bringing for you the culture, cuisines, and heritage of coastal Karnataka,” the organising committee chairperson Prakash Shetty told reporters.
He said the coastal Karnataka community wanted to showcase Kambala to the world.
According to Shetty, the Kannada blockbuster Kantara featured Kambala, evoking curiosity among many outside Tulunadu, the region where the Tulu dialect is spoken, who wanted to see it happening live.
Shetty said 139 pairs of buffaloes which are taking part in the event, have left for Bengaluru from the coastal region. Former minister and Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna has decided to sponsor the food and stay of the buffaloes and people accompanying them.
To make sure that the event happens without any glitches, the organisers even made sure that the water for the buffaloes is brought to Bengaluru so that the “output” of the cattle is not affected.
The main stage has been named after famous Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away two years ago, while the event is named after erstwhile Mysuru Maharaja, Sri Krishna Raja Wadiyar.
The organisers are expecting a footfall of two lakh people during the event, and an expenditure of about ₹7.5 crore to ₹8 crore.
The winner will get 16 grams of gold and ₹1 lakh, the first runner-up will get eight grams of gold and ₹50,000 and the second runner-up will get four grams of gold and ₹25,000.
“It is not about money for which these participants are coming. It’s about showcasing to the world the rich culture of coastal Karnataka,” Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said.
He also said that the event was secular as six Muslim groups and four Christian groups were also taking part.
The organisers also said photographers would be allowed to take pictures only with a condition that they should not use a flashlight as it could enrage the buffaloes and they could run amok.
The event managers also asked the news channels reporting the event not to set up their cameras as they had arranged high-end cameras to videograph the race.
Earlier, the Karnataka Wrestling Association (KWA) announced that former WFI chief Brij Bhushan, accused of sexually assaulting and harassing women athletes, would not attend the Bengaluru Kambala amidst a controversy over the latter extending an invitation to him.
On Tuesday, 21 November, the KWA took a U-turn and dropped its decision to invite Bhushan, also a BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, to the event.
“We have cancelled the plan to invite Brij Bhushan as the chief guest to the Kambala event for two reasons: Since he is also the vice-president of the Asian Wrestling Association, and he has a World Federation meeting to attend in Germany on the same dates; and two, the BJP MP has Z-category security which the state cannot offer him during the Kambala,” Vinod Kumar K, Chairman of KWA’s Technical Board had earlier told South First.
He added that the MP’s office had informed the state association at 11.30 pm on Monday that he would not be attending the event.
Kambala is an annual race held from November to March in Coastal Karnataka usually after harvesting the paddy. The sport involves a jockey racing a pair of buffaloes with a yoke plough through the muddy paddy field tracks and completing the distance in the shortest time.
The race happens amid traditional carnival-type festivities with entertainment for all. Additional attractions include Bhootakola and Yakshagana — two traditional art forms — performances after the races.
The Supreme Court had banned Kambala after animal rights activists raised charges of cruelty to buffaloes.
However, with coercion from the elected representatives and a section of Kambala lovers from Coastal Karnataka, the government through The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, made the sport legal in Karnataka.
(With PTI inputs)
