BENGALURU: For the first time, the famous sport of coastal Karnataka region, ‘Kambala’ (buffalo race), was held in Bengaluru on Saturday. The beats of the drums and the sound of kahale (trumpet) echoed as citizens gathered in large numbers at Palace Grounds to get a glimpse of the buffaloes sprinting in muddy waters. I
Intermittent rain during the show did not deter the jockeys, buffaloes or spectators. While some opened their umbrellas, the others got drenched but continued to cheer for the jockeys.
The charm of coastal Karnataka’s culture, be it the Pili Vesha (folk dance with tiger masks), yakshagana, handcrafted metal artefacts or 150-food stalls selling delicacies like neer dosa with chicken sukka, anjal tawa (fish), kori roti with Mangalore chicken curry or chicken pulimunchi, transported citizens to Tulu land. As they danced to the drum beats and enjoyed a variety of dishes, it was a perfect family outing.
‘Namma Kambala’, and ’Bengaluru Kambala’ slogans were raised throughout the day, motivating the jockeys, who were further egged on by the clapping and whistling of spectators.
Indranil Pal and his wife Deepa M, from Kolkata and Mangaluru, who have been in the city for over 12 years, spent the entire day at the venue, enjoying the race.
Indranil, who witnessed it for the first time, said, “It is very entertaining to watch.” His wife, hailing from an agricultural family, said, “It is nice to see our culture here in Bengaluru. We used to see Kambala when we were young. But now with work, I don’t get much time to go back home to see Kambala.” Veena Suryanarayana, a resident of Wilson Garden, came with her entire family. They had only seen Kambala in movies and were excited to watch it live.
Experience of jockeys
The jockeys, who are used to running in natural paddy fields, were not disappointed with the manmade track at Bengaluru Kambala. Srinivasa Gowda, also known as the Indian Usain Bolt, said he had a superb experience. “I will try to break my last year’s record for completing 100 metres in 8.75 seconds, “ he said, after completing his sprint.