I see, to my utter delight, that the tree under which thousands of tribal people have congregated to rain abuses is the frangipani. The delicate white flower rimmed with yellow is called ‘deva-kanagile’ (god’s flower) in Kannada, a name as gorgeous as the flower itself. The tree decked with flowers is a heartening sight, especially after being subjected to a spate of the choicest abuses. Some friends and I are at ‘Kunde Habba’ or ‘Bedu Habba,’ the annual abuse festival of the tribal people of Kodagu in Karnataka. Held on the fourth Thursday of May in Devarapura village near Gonikoppal, 200-odd km from Bengaluru, this is one day when the tribal people let out their grudges and vent their anger against god and fellow men in some of the filthiest words in Kannada and other dialects.

Kodagu or, in travel agent parlance, Coorg is home to some two dozen tribes. Some are honey gatherers-turned-mahouts, a few are into hunting. But the majority works in the coffee estates that dot the district’s verdant landscape. Their days are spent in rigorous physical labour and the evenings in dulled stupor induced by cheap country liquor. For them, the ‘Kunde Habba’ is their one chance, once a year, to abuse and rant away the insults heaped on them by others.

Legend has it that Ayyappa, the god of the tribals, took a group of them into the forest for hunting. Deep in the jungle, he came across the beautiful goddess Bhagavathi, fell in love and eloped with her, leaving the hapless tribal people stranded. Angry at this betrayal, the tribal people reserve this day to abuse their god for his old mistake — for not bestowing the boons they prayed for, for dreams unfulfilled and wishes unheeded. Over time, the festival has grown to become an outlet for their anger against employers — often wealthy coffee planters — and others who have bothered them. The participants take great care in the way they dress for the festival. Handbags readily become hats and an onion sack is turned into a dress. The men, who dominate the festival activities, take great pains to be in drag. Their hardened muscles gleam with sweat and silver paint. They sport bras stuffed with rags and miniskirts balanced precariously around belted waists. Make-up, most often, is gaudy. A little boy in an underwear pins a white flower near his crotch. Save for their size, there is little difference in the way boys, young men and old men look on this day.

Music is a vital part of the celebrations. Fertiliser tins, mineral water bottles filled with stones and large blue storage bins become drums for the day. Upcycling and recycling are clearly the norm, even if they may have never heard of these new-age terms.

Out in Gonikoppal town, during a break for tea that is too strong, almost bitter, we are bombarded by men in dresses, skirts and tight tops, rattling bottles and beating their drums. There appears to be no method, yet a catchy rhythm ensues. The going rate to get them to leave you alone is ₹10. The men barge into shops, collect money and, towards afternoon, congregate at the temple at Devarapura, where a village fair comes up. Plastic toys, knick-knacks and eats line the stalls as tattoo artists settle in their seats. Crude images of hearts, tigers, even Ambedkar are cut into chappal soles and PoP. These are dipped in ink and pressed on to the skin, after which the tattooist goes to work using an incredibly crude tool to poke through the design, rubbing colour and antiseptic turmeric in the end. Tattoos are cheap, starting at ₹50, or ₹10 per letter for a name.

Meanwhile, dancing around the tree continues. Devotees who have promised sacrifice to the gods throw several shocked chickens into the crowd, those who catch them get to keep them. My friends are miffed at not catching any. The drums get louder and louder, reaching a crescendo, until all the drums merge into a dull relentless thud. Women get ‘possessed’ and run in circles (only to sit back and check messages on their phones a few minutes later) and the dance gets raunchier as the alcohol kicks in. After prayers, they will go back to their haadis or settlements for a feast and many more rounds of drink.

Heartily abused, we feel like we could use a drink too. But instead, the oddly catchy tune of the abuses sticks in our head. We make up words to go along and drive further into the district, for elsewhere.

(Deepa Bhasthi is a freelance journalist based in Bengaluru)

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line> BLINK> Watch / by Deepa Bhashti / June 09th, 2015

Men with traditional attire of black suit and a turban, with gun on the shoulder, women clad in ethnic paraphernaila, dancing to the tunes of musical notes, adding to the charm of colourful procession, which was taken out during taluk Kodava cultural fest organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and Kodava Samaja in Kushalnagar on Monday.

Prior to the inauguration, Kodava Sahitya Academy President Biddatanda S Thammiah offered prayers to the idol of Goddess Cauvery, near the tollgate in the City.

Later, Somvarpet DySP C W Poovaiah inaugurated the procession with a gunshot. The procession including traditional Kodagu bandset, men and women clad in traditional attire, passed through Field Marshall K M Cariappa circle and Kalabhavan road and concluded at Raitha Sahakara Bhavan.

Kodava Sahitya Academy former president Bacharaniyanda P Appanna hoisted the academy flag at Raitha Sahakara Bhavan ground.

An exhibition of household items and agricultural equipment used in older days in Kodagu, caught the attention of onlookers. Hundreds of people took part in various competitions such as dance, music, play and elocution.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Kushalnagar – DHNS / June 16th, 2015

An enduring experience to Kodavas who see it

Addanda Cariappa and his wife Anitha Cariappa in the Kodava play ‘Baduk’ at Bhoomigeetha in city.

Kodavas of Kodagu district in Karnataka are a small ethnic community. The name of the district, smallest in Karnataka, is eponymous with the native Kodava people who live in their land of thick rainforest with hills and valleys. These hardy Kodava people speak a distinct dialect of a language which has no script and have a culture of their own. For centuries, they have been living here ruled by Nayakas, some of whom are Kodavas, with each having his own territory and later ruled by Lingayat kings for about 250 years till British took over in 1834.

The claim to fame for this small community, present population 1,20,000 in Kodagu, is as warriors, hunters and agriculturists. The iconic figures among the warriors in the British army and later in the Indian army from among the Kodavas (known by the British as Coorgs and the land as Coorg) are Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa, the only C-in-C of Indian Defence forces and General K.S. Thimayya. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru when he came to Coorg had famously described Kodagu as a ‘Land of beautiful women, oranges and Generals.’

The Kodavas are ancestor and nature worshippers which is evident from their daily practice of praying and folk songs remembering the lives and achievements of their ancestors annually observed by each clan with a distinct name. They have only two festivals of their own celebrated with gusto — special hunting expeditions, non-vegetarian food-fare, community singing and dancing — Kailmuhurta (transplantation of paddy fields) and Huthri, harvest festival. The influence of Brahminical Hinduism is of later intrusion. Let it be.

However, the point of concern is the stagnating of Kodava culture to its ancient mores to the total exclusion of culture of other majority communities that include theatre, music (other than folk), dance, fine arts etc. that would further showcase Kodava ethnic life and culture. It is here that I found the two-hour play in Kodava language called ‘Baduk’ meaning simply ‘Life’ in english, meaningful as much as enjoyable. The Kodava language being an admixture of words from the languages of neighbouring districts, the drama can be understood even by non-Kodavas. After all, in theatre body-language too contributes in enabling the spectators to understand the play. Happily, it was so with the play I saw last evening at Bhoomigeetha in Rangayana.

The play is all about an old couple, with their sons and daughters away in pursuit of their own life and career. This couple live in Kodagu all by themselves in the sunset years of their life, fending for themselves, fighting among themselves, negotiating peace, calling for cease-fire; but all the same living a life in their own private space and on their own terms. Poignant and also humorous at times as the play unfolds. That’s life. Finding happiness in contentment. No complaint against children who are not able to be with them in Kodagu, but not wanting to sacrifice their own way of life — in the matter of food they take and the manner of activities they engage themselves in daily — by staying with their children in rotation, as happens in many cases.

The beauty of the play is in the way the playwright has delineated the life of Kodava people as lived in the dim past and could be seen even today in some houses tucked away in remote areas. As for me, being a Kodava myself, I spent the two hours of the play rather vicariously living my days spent in Kodagu till the age of 19. I had seen it all as depicted so honestly in the play, except for the theatrical exaggeration inevitable in a play. The ambience of the Kodava household, the existential love of every Kodava and Kodavathi for food — non-vegetarian — being vainglorious about the ancestry of each one, the domestic bickerings and the reconciliation etc. The play will tell you about the kind of vegetables that are grown in Kodagu, the medicinal value of some of them etc. The words and verses of Kodagu’s Haridasa Appacha Kavi, a legendary writer of many great plays in Kodava language of the last century, are liberally used here to good effect. In fact, the play tells the viewer that it is possible to make life a real celebration even if it is only between an 80-plus husband and a 75-plus wife.

The play is highly nuanced in some scenes — one where they receive a letter from their son, a Major in the Army at J&K; the collapse of the tamarind tree planted by this son soon after receiving his letter, the death of the protagonist of the play and the widow not forgetting to plant a tree in her late husband’s name etc.

The play was originally written in Telugu language under the title ‘Mithuna’ by Sri Ramana. It was adapted to the life and times of a typical aged Kodava couple under the title ‘Baduk’ by Addanda Cariappa so creatively that only he could have done being the son of the Kodava clan and Kodava soil.

Addanda Cariappa is a big name in Kodava language theatre and that stamp of excellence is seen here in this play, where he himself plays the lead role ably supported by his wife Anitha Cariappa with Chediyanda Medappa in a minor but significant role. This real life husband and wife, in a sense I guess, replay their real life many years in advance in this play. And what a performance. Their training in theatre at the famous Ninasam, Heggodu, of legendary K.V. Subanna, has not gone in vain. It has done a miracle for this couple so deeply steeped in the art and craft of theatre. Probably after Haridasa Appacha Kavi, Addanda Cariappa is the only person who has distinguished himself so brilliantly as a playwright, director and an actor.

It is comforting to know, in this world of pride and prejudice, he has been recognised and honoured with a number of rewards — Karnataka Nataka Academy Award; Kodava Sahitya Academy Award; Kannada Rajyotsava Award and the prestigious Bhasha Samman Award by the Central Sahitya Academy of Government of India. In my humble opinion, probably, he was the only person who justifiably occupied the office of the President of Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy. However, it is not to deny the service of other Presidents.

This is one play all Kodavas must see, specially those old couples living together all by themselves and Kodava youngsters who have lived only in cities, never experienced or heard of life in the Kodava household in Kodagu.

There is one more show today at 6.30 pm at Sriranga auditorium in Rangayana.

Tailpiece: A suggestion to Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy: Institute a prestigious Haridasa Appacha Kavi Award (like Dadasaheb Phalke award) with a money component of Rs. 1 lakh plus and give away the first award to Addanda Cariappa at a grand function presided over by either the Governor or the Chief Minister of the State.

e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra….Abracadabra / Saturday – June 06th, 2015

At Sriranga in Rangayana premises on June 1

Mysuru :

Rangayana, as part of its Annual State-level Amateur Theatre Festival, has organised staging of a Kodava play ‘Badk’ at Bhoomigeetha in Rangayana premises here on May 31 at 6.30 pm.

The play, brought out by Addanda C. Kariappa, will be enacted by the Kodagu theatre troupe. The play has already been staged in Bengaluru and Delhi, well-acclaimed by critics and theatre buffs. Kariappa has scripted the play based on the story ‘Mithuna’ by Vasudendra. The play is a classic example of Kodava culture and projects the art of theatre in Kodagu.

Kariappa is well-supported by senior theatre artiste Anita Kariappa and budding artiste Santosh Medappa with direction by Malatheesh Badigera.

The play will be staged at Sriranga in Rangayana premises again on June 1 at 6.30 pm.

Tickets are available at Rangayana office. For online booking, visit www.bookmyshow.com

For more information contact Mob: 94484-22343.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / May 29th, 2015