BENGALURU: On the last day of the maiden Kambala event at the city’s Palace Grounds, scenes from the movie Kantara came alive as the two buffaloes that actor Rishab Shetty races with in the movie were seen galloping on the tracks here and ended up winning the gold medal in one of the six categories.
The buffalo pair, Appu and Kutty, gave a tough fight to the remaining jockeys and splashed water up to 6 feet as they raced through the 155-metre track on Sunday.
The buffaloes belong to Bolamballi Parmeshwara Bhatt and won the third category ‘Kane Halage’, where the jockey stands on a wooden plank and is pulled by the buffaloes through the slush tracks. Other categories included Negilu (plough) Hiriya (senior), Negilu Kiriya (junior), Hagga (rope) Kiriya, Hagga Hiriya and Adda Halage.
The owners and caretakers rejoiced the moment and wished that Rishab was present to witness the scene straight out of the movie. They also acknowledged the actor’s contribution to popularising the coastal sport across the world. A huge crowd of over 2.3 lakh people had gathered at the venue on Saturday and it doubled by the end of Sunday as citizens came to witness the sport from different parts of the state, including Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. Celebrities like Rakshit Shetty, Pooja Hedge, Upendra, Ramesh Arvind and politicians from different parties stopped by to support Kambala.
Poignant visuals such as elders and parents shouldering their wide-eyed children and telling them tales of the tradition were all heart. The IT capital over the last three days made tradition and modernity a seamless affair, bringing communities together to watch around 200 pairs of buffaloes race. The organisers, however, were a bit overwhelmed as volunteers struggled to control a crowd of over four lakh people. In one instance, barricades were broken near the race track as many waited with bated breaths to take a glance of the animals racing down the track. People said VIPs were allotted seats in the stands, while the common man was left standing for hours.
Visitors also complained of the mismanagement of the proceedings as several mics echoed instructions. Citizens pointed out that though entry was free, food and drinks prices and parking charges were exorbitant.
Young caretakers steal the show
Among many veteran jockeys and caretakers who handle the fierce buffaloes, it was refreshing to see young boys aged 12 to 14 years standing their ground steadfast to hold the bulls. One of them, Rahul, who is 13, from Subramanya in Dakshina Kannada, said, “When I am done with my school, I love spending time with my father, who is a caretaker. I am learning the ropes from him.” He added that when he grows up he would love to be a jockey.
Races delayed as buffaloes not in mood
The races scheduled for Day 2 were delayed as the buffaloes took time to get adjusted to the new environment. Despite caretakers carrying fodder and even water from their hometowns, the animals took time to get accustomed to the man-made track. The referees also struggled to wave the flag as buffaloes failed to fall in line, re-initiating the entire process multiple times. Each race for the pre-quarterfinals and quarter-finals took 25-30 minutes, postponing the day’s events. The semifinals were scheduled for 3 pm, but didn’t start till late in the evening.