When the monsoon turns farmlands into sludge tracts, Kodagu girds up for some thrilling rural sports.
Madikeri :
Monsoons in Kodagu are beautiful. The lushness of nature and play of the fog during the season is poetic — that’s apart from the recent calamities. And to add some thrill to the chilly wet weather, the ancestors of the land followed a unique pursuit — the ‘Kesaru Gaddhe Oota’ event or Sludge Sports. Races, football, tug-of-war… the sports are varied and taken up in slushy farmlands. Enthusiasts plunge into mud pools, unmindful of the rain and slippery earth, at one with nature. Young and old, girls and boys participate.
Kodagu is primarily an agricultural district, and the culture of the people is often intertwined with their farmlands. The important festivals of the district revolve around nature and farms — be it ‘Puthari’, ‘Kailpodh’ or ‘Tula Sankramana’. Similarly, the district is also active in sports, and what’s interesting is that the ancestors connected sports activities with farmlands, and took the entertainment level up by a notch.
Every year, between June and August, several farmlands, especially in rural areas of the district, host unique sports events. Sludgy farmlands become running tracks and hundreds take part in the event amid pouring rain and chilly weather.“All our festivals are linked to farmlands, and our ancestors also linked sports activities with the farms. Once the fields were sowed with paddy seeds, the traditional sports ‘Naati Oota’ (translating to harvest run) would be held in every village,” explained Apattira Tatu Monnappa, former president of the District Youth Club, and winner of the State Youth Award. In ancestral times, races were hosted in sludgy farmlands ploughed for paddy.
As soon as the monsoon sets in, various organisations and associations come forward to host sports events at private farmlands. Though sludge sports in farmlands formed a part of the culture, the activities witnessed a gradual decline. “Earlier, every village hosted this activity during the cultivation season. Locally grown produce, including banana bunches, coconuts and arecanuts, were handed over as prizes to the winners. This slowly vanished as youngsters moved to cities and showed less interest in their farms,” recalled Kannikanda Subbaiah, a native of Surlabbi village.
Nevertheless, the traditions are now being revived. While the villagers themselves hosted sports activities in farmlands as a part of farming customs, they are now being organised by various organisations and associations. “While there were several sports activities during summer, events were few during the monsoon. With an aim to revive the rural sports tradition and involve youngsters in sports activities during the monsoon, we started organising ‘Kesaru Gaddhe’ annually,” explained Rafeque Tuchamakeri, founder-president of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ponnampet Nisarga. The organisation has been hosting the event for the past six years at a private farmland in Bittangala.
“During ancestral times, sporting events on farmlands were part of agriculture activity. Rural sports brought together the entire village, and it was a means of relaxation before the tedious work began. With farmlands now being abandoned and the interest in agriculture vanishing, rural sports have become a means of reviving both agriculture and sports. The associations and organisations now aim to introduce agricultural activities through these sports events,” opined Tatu.
Sports activities now draw a large number of youngsters into the farmlands and have become events that residents look forward to. “Not many youngsters are interested in agriculture. To introduce agriculture and invoke interest in farmlands, sports activities in the farmlands were being held from ancestral times. While sports is a means of entertainment, it has also become a medium to introduce farming among kids. Interest in sports is, in turn, helping develop interest in agriculture,” concluded Shashi Somaiah, a sports journalist and resident of Madikeri.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / July 31st, 2022
