MANGALURU: Supreme Court banned Kambala along with Jallikattu (in Tamil Nadu) in 2014 following a PIL by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), many thought the centuries-old traditional sport of coastal Karnataka hit the dead-end. But the coastal people, for whom the buffalo race is an integral part of their rich tradition and culture, managed to force the then Siddaramaiah government to promulgate an ordinance within three years in 2017 to make it legal.
But the buffalo race made a real splash early this month when 28-year-old Srinivasa Gowda from Mijar in Moodbidri zipped through a slush field with his buffaloes, shattering earlier records which brought him instant glory and made the authorities sit up and take notice. Within a fortnight, his buddy Nishanth Shetty from Bajagoli in Karkala taluk hit the slush field at Venur-Permuda only to break Gowda’s record. Although many including Kambala lovers have termed the comparison of the traditional sport with the track event unfair, they are happy with the turn of events in the last couple of weeks bringing the tradition into the much-needed limelight, which could help revive it and help tap the tourism potential of the region.
Kambalas are organised in a grand manner across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. But they failed to attract the attention of the outside world till recently, restricting the audience mostly to the local populace. Although efforts were made by successive governments to introduce it to a bigger audience, it could not be achieved due to lack of consistent efforts from the stakeholders and those in power due to legal issues. Now, the unexpected attention could work as a real gamechanger for Kambala. Riding on the huge publicity that the sport has got now, Kambala Samithis (organisers) wasted no time and have planned a slew of initiatives like a website to document the Kambala records and uniform track length among others to take the traditional sport to the next level.
Taking it to the next level
The sport with a history of more than 200 years has seen several changes over the years to suit the changing times. From paddy fields, it has shifted to dedicated Jodu Kere (double tracks) that have come up in several places. Electronic timers and laser systems have been introduced for accurate results. A dedicated stadium for Kambala has constructed at Miyar in Karkala taluk in 2009 at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. It can accommodate over 50,000 people in its gallery.
In the beginning, only Hindus, especially people from Bunt community, owned Kambala buffaloes. But now, there are Kambala buffalo owners and jockeys even among Musl im and Christ ian communities. Dakshina Kannada district administration used to organise Kamabala at Pilikula, but that was stopped five years ago in view of the ban then. Now, efforts are on to restart it.
Training at early age
For many, training to become Kambala jockeys starts during their teenage. By tending to buffaloes in paddy fields and rivers, children of farmers and farm labourers get a knack of racing before they finally hit the Kambala tracks. In 2011, K Gunapala Kadamba started Kambala Academy in Karkala which so far has trained more than 100 jockeys and several starters and referees. “The training takes place during September-October before the Kambala season is over and it is completely free. After a tough entrance test, the trainees undergo a rigorous training for a week on grooming buffaloes which includes giving bath, clearing dung, nutrition and weaving ropes and also on psychology, personality development, physiotherapy and others,” says Kadamba, adding that many of those making it big in Kambala now are those trained in the Academy.
Prizes and remuneration
Buffalo owners select jockeys a few months before the start of Kambala season and sign contracts with them. While many jockeys sign contract with one buffalo owner, some of the top jockeys – like Srinivasa Gowda – sign contracts with up to four. A jockey earns a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh from a buffalo owner. The first and second winners of a contest get 8 grams and 4 grams of gold respectively, which goes to the owners.
TYPES OF KAMBALA
Kambala was said to be initially started as a mode of entertainment for rural folk during the harvest season. Now, there are traditional and modern Kambalas that take place in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. In traditional Kambala, a pair of buffaloes is made to run one after the other and the fastest two will get prizes. It takes place during November-December. In this, the age old tradition is maintained wherein those associated with it shun non-vegetarian food and those observing ‘sutaka’ (mourning) stay away from it. In modern or Adhunika Kambala, the contest takes place between two pairs of buffaloes and in four categories – Negilu (using a light plough), Hagga (a rope is tied to buffaloes), Adda Halage (jockey stands on a wooden plank tied to buffaloes) and Kane Halage (where the height of water splashed by the speeding buffalo determines the result).
AWARDS Kambala jockeys -- Irvathuru Anand, Nekre Jaikar Madiwala and Palimar Devendra Kotian -- have got ‘Kreeda Ratna’ awards and trainer Gunapala Kadamba has got Dasara award for conservation of Kambala from the state government in 2005. The Kambala Academy has won Karnataka Kreeda Poshaka Award from the state government in 2017-18.
Expenditureruns into lakhs
As many as 20 modern Kambalas take place on every weekend between November and March. The expenditure of a Kambala varies from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh and sponsors include businessmen and politicians.
Vijay Kumar Kanginamane, a Kambala referee and former jockey, says Aikala Kambala – which is one of the biggest – sees a spending of about `15 lakh for the two-day event and businessmen hailing from Aikala and many who are settled in Mumbai and the Gulf sponsor it. They also come down to witness the event and for the annual get-together thereafter.
Kadamba says that in the past,a village fair was part of Kambala where farmers used to shop for their agricultural equipment, seeds and fertilisers.
200 pairs of buffaloes
There are over 200 pairs of buffaloes that take part in the Kambalas. They are categorised as senior and junior, based on their teeth. Buffaloes are usually not reared for milk in the coastal region, and hence they are brought from Malnad and old Mysuru region and groomed for the races.
Buffaloes are a status symbol for landlords and a few of them have also built swimming pools for them.