HUBBALLI: Memes, DJ ditties, T-shirt slogans... North Karnataka is in splits over ‘Howdu Huliya’ and its many avatars.
The alliterative words, uttered by a villager from Athani in Belagavi district where former chief minister Siddaramaiah was addressing the crowd, are the new political punchline. Siddaramaiah, referring to the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had said that she had laid down her life for the nation. To this, villager Peerappa had responded with a loud “Howdu huliya!” literally meaning “Yes boss”. And there’s no stopping anyone after that.
Memes are rolling off the assembly lines. Be it Mahatma Gandhi, American President Donald Trump or self-styled godman Nithyananda, meme makers have everyone saying ‘Howdu Huliya’. Though in Trump’s case, it could well be ‘Howdy Huliya’.
Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar’s famous scene from the movie ‘Bhakta Pralhad’ has now been dubbed with ‘Howdu Huliya’ — little Pralhad (portrayed by Puneeth Rajkumar) keeps answering his father about the presence of God with ‘Howdu Huliya’!
Already, parodies, DJ mixes and remixes in the voices of Siddaramaiah and Peerappa are going viral. Videos are also being aired on videos apps, including Tiktok. Social media users are being asked to vote for the best line of the year -- ‘Howdu Huliya’ or ‘Nikhil Yellidiyappa’, which went viral during the Lok Sabha elections in early 2019.
Sandalwood too is not far behind. Already, a movie title named ‘Howdu Huliya’ has been registered. One parody is dedicated to Kannada actor Devaraj, who had made a movie named Huliya.
“We are sure that most of these songs with the Huliya title will be played during New Year’s Eve parties. While Nikhil Yellidiyappa was parodied mostly in South Karnataka, people of North Karnataka have started using Huliya regularly,” said Shivayogi Hiremath, a businessman from Gadag.
Political analysts point out that memes and parodies pertaining to opposition parties trend faster than others. “The thick presence of political party activists on social media platforms troll opposition party members. They also ensure that memes that show their leaders in poor light are either not shared or are reported,” said one analyst.
After Huliya went viral, the Tagaru (ram) had to respond. At a function on Friday, Siddaramaiah said, “The Huliya line has gone viral. Everywhere, I am hearing ‘Howdu Huliya’. It’s better you do the election campaign.” And now, Siddaramaiah’s video has gone viral.