GADAG: This is some faith in his leader. An admirer of former chief minister Siddaramaiah carried a 101 kg jowar bag on his shoulders and performed a “deeda namaskara” ritual for nearly a kilometre in Gadag district on Friday, praying for the success of his leader in the Assembly election. Deeda Namaskara is when one takes a step, kneels down, prays, gets up and repeats the process for every step.
The performer of the ritual, Hanumantappa Jagatti, prayed to God that Congress come back to power, Siddaramaiah be made chief minister and BR Yavagal get elected as MLA from Naragund.
He performed the backbreaking namaskara from the historic Virupaksha temple to the Maruti temple in Lakkundi. People said it is a record of sorts as it is difficult to even walk with a 101 kg bag for 1 km, but Hanumappa performed the deedu namaskara with the load.
Such rituals are common in some parts of North Karnataka during elections. Last month, a man from Gajendragad, Iranna Saki, climbed all the 100 steps of Kalakaleshwar temple on his knee despite it being extremely hot. That was again to see Siddaramaiah as chief minister and Ron leader GS Patil as MLA and minister.
But Hanumantappa’s feat is rare and risky too. He took nearly two hours to complete the vow, as hundreds of people followed him to see his deedu namasara under the scorching Sun.
Annadaneshwara Patil, a friend of Hanumantappa, said, “He wanted to do something different fro Siddaramaiah. But we did not know he would choose such a risky ritual. When he started, some advised him against it, warning that it could lead to disc problems. But he dismissed them, saying he knew how to lift weights. He successfully completed the task and those of us who accompanied him enjoyed it too. He did not falter in the entire 1 km ritual.”
Hanumantappa said, “I have been a follower of Congress and a fan of Siddaramaiah. I thought I should do something to see Congress come back to power, Siddaramaiah as chief minister and Yavagal as MLA of Naragund. Lord Maruti of Lakkundi village is powerful. So, I performed the special ritual to please Him.”