BANGALORE:
Members of the Kodava community assembled on Friday evening on Kodava Samaja Premises dressed in their traditional attire and finery. It is that time of the year, when fireworks and dance accompany the men, as they get down onto a small patch of a paddy field cultivated on premises to harvest the first strands of paddy.
The harvest festival of the Kodavas, called Puthari, was celebrated on Friday night in the City. When questioned about the timing, the secretary of the Kodava Samaja Ammatanda K Chinnappa explains, “The timing is decided by a group of elders associated with the Igguthappa temple in Coorg. This year, they have announced that the auspicious timing to begin the harvest season is at 9.05 pm on Friday.”
Several Kodava ladies also said that the festival was generally celebrated on Rohini nakshatra, the cycle of which begins on Friday night.
The cultural affairs secretary at Kodava Samaja Sudha Muthanna said that while in villages the festivities begin a week in advance, in the City, some 400 Kodavas members come together to celebrate with dance and more importantly, eat food cooked with the rice harvested on this auspicious day. “Kolata and other traditional dances are performed in villages at a common designated place or in the muttam (courtyard) of the ain mane all through this week and on all three days of this festival,” she said.
The Kodava Samaja arranged for the harvest early in the evening to allow people to take home a fistful of the harvest. “Families consider this as auspicious, like bringing Lakshmi home, and take the paddy home. Since, paddy cultivated on premises will be insufficient to cater to the needs of all Kodava members in the City, we have arranged for paddy from Kodava to supplement the stock,” said Sudha Muthanna.
At the time of harvest, a gun shot is fired in the air and everybody chorus Poli Deva Poli, where poli means prosperity. With this, they usher in a prosperous year. A rich festival indeed.
source: http://www.expressbuzz.com / Home> Cities> Bangalore / Express News Service / December 10th, 2011
