Bengaluru :

Film director Hemanth Kumar from Haveri belongs to the Banjara community and holds the distinction of having made and released one of the first movies on the community back in 1995. His fourth and latest movie, ‘Sonesarik Beti’ that will be screened at the BIFFES today talks about farmer suicides and tells the tale of a girl who works for the progress of a village where such incidences are aplenty.

“There are around 50 lakh people in the Banjara community spread throughout Karnataka. Most of them live in the fringes of forests.

My movie tries to explore how it is possible to find a solution to the problem of farmers suicides and dissuades people from resorting to such measures, I have a girl as my protagonist who helps people see this point of view” says Kumar. The movie title literally translates as ‘Golden Daughter’.

Unlike mainstream Kannada movies that have a wide audience, Kumar has to struggle with all aspects of film making right upto the distribution and even screening.

“For my first movie theaters were not willing to play the movie. As a result I had to travel with with the movie and screened it wherever I could,” he says. He also make sure that the movie is screened in the right season.

“For around six months in a year most of the Banjara people are out of the state in Goa or other places working. So I make sure that I do not screen my movies then,” he says.

Loss of Kodavaland

Another movie, ‘Talang Neer’ or ‘Fresh Water’ written and directed by Gopi Peenya talks about the slow urbanization and the gradual decline of the natural habitat of the Kodavas in and around Coorg.

The movie uses the story of a soldier who comes back home after his stint in the army, only to find that nothing is the same anymore.

The movie was inspired from regular trekking trips that the director and the movie’s producer, D R Sampath took to Coorg. “We have been visiting the region for the past 3 decades and saw the rate of the changes that were taking place. We therefore decided to make a movie of this,” he says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Kamzauva Chhakchhnak / Express News Service / February 08th, 2017

Bhagwathy Namme is one of the important village temple festivals in Kodagu. It happens at different times of the year in various goddess temples. One such temple is Arapattu Bhagwathy Temple, which is supported by the dand keri (two hamlets) of Arapattu and Poddavadi.

In the past, Bhagwathy and Vishnu Murthy shrines of this region used to be managed by the extended family members of Mukkatira Roy Biddappa of Arapattu village. But now a village committee is responsible for the temple management.

According to Kanniyada Prakash, secretary of Arapattu Bhagwathy Temple, “The Bhagwathy goddess came to Kodagu from Soli village accompanied by Vishnu Murthy and the assistant god Mandana Murthy along with the Banna, Maleya and Pale communities, and my Kanniya family, who are astrologers. The Kanniya were given farm land and settled in Arapattu. They perform the ceremonies at the Mandana Murthy shrine. The anji koot murthy (five spirits) and the patt koot patala (ten protectors) are also given place in the shrine.”

Normally, wherever a temple was built for Bhagwathy, a shrine was also dedicated to Vishnu, in the Vishnu Murthy form, and his five companion spirits. The five spirits are also called the kootali, bodyguards or companions, of Vishnu Murthy. They are Kutti Chatta, Kala Bhairava, Kari Baala, Kuliya, also known as Gulika, and Nuchchute.

Mukkatira Changari, a member of the village temple committee, says, “From the seventh until the eleventh day of the Fish month (called Minyaar, or Pisces), every morning and evening, dance and song programmes are organised in the name of the goddess, and special light arrangements are done.”

On the seventh day of the month, the villagers get together and observe a special fast. Fines for deviations from ritual observances are paid. The main puja is held in the evening.

A temple priest carries the idol upon his head and dances. On the ninth day, the astrologers meet the villagers at the temple in the evening. Then they all go to the shrine of Mandana Murthy. On the tenth day, every family from the two villages bring fine rice on the backs of oxen and offer it to the goddess. On the eleventh day, which is the last day of the feast, lunch is offered at the temple.

A member of the temple priest’s family wears priestly robes and carries the Bhagwathy idol, called the thadamb, upon his head. Also Bidderianda Satish, a designated native called the thiralekara, wears the traditional white kuppya chele costume and dances the thirale (whirl) before the idol. He also behaves as an oracle, answering to the queries of devotees.

Late in the afternoon, the idol is taken across the fields by devotees to the stream to be washed. Then the idol is brought back and taken around the temple. While taking the idol around the temple, the carrier also dances on his feet, all the while holding the thadamb upon his head. After this, coconuts hung up in the air are shot at with guns. Finally the priests serve a vegetarian feast to the devotees.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / Mookonda Kushalappa / February 07th, 2017