![Bengaluru Kambala (slush track buffalo race) under way at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on November 25, 2023. Bengaluru Kambala (slush track buffalo race) under way at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on November 25, 2023.](https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png)
Bengaluru Kambala (slush monitor buffalo race) beneath manner on the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on November 25, 2023.
| Picture Credit score: Okay. MURALI KUMAR
The cries of “Bengaluru Kambala, Namma Kambala” hire the air as lots of of pairs of colourfully-decked buffaloes and their athletic jockeys took to the jodu kare or double slush tracks, marking the start of the Bengaluru Kambala at Palace Grounds within the metropolis on Saturday.
The 2-day occasion is the primary ever Kambala (slush monitor buffalo race) to be held within the State capital. The distinctive conventional sport from the coastal area of Karnataka captured pan-Indian creativeness by way of Rishab Shetty’s 2022 blockbuster movie, Kantara. The present version in Bengaluru is a part of the hassle to popularise it among the many city inhabitants and market it for breed conservation of the Indian buffalo.
![Spectators at the Bengaluru Kambala held at the Palace Grounds. Spectators at the Bengaluru Kambala held at the Palace Grounds.](https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/14vwq5/article67573936.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/_DSC2495.jpg)
Spectators on the Bengaluru Kambala held on the Palace Grounds.
| Picture Credit score:
Okay. MURALI KUMAR
Longest monitor
On Saturday, blanketed by overcast skies, over 180 pairs of buffaloes and their jockeys started participation throughout six classes — negilu hiriya, negilu kiriya, hagga hiriya, hagga kiriya, adda halage and kane halage — within the mega occasion that was witnessed by lakhs of wide-eyed spectators.
The primary 5 classes are contests of velocity: the pair of buffaloes that runs the quickest, wins. The final class, kane halage, is a show of drive. The competing groups should splash water on the banners tied at a peak of seven.5 toes and 6.5 toes at totally different factors within the monitor. The upper the buffaloes spray water whereas they run, the higher their probabilities of profitable.
That is additionally the primary aggressive kambala to have the longest monitor at 155 metres in opposition to the standard size of 145-147 metres.
![The throng at the Bengaluru Kambala (slush track buffalo race) 2023. The throng at the Bengaluru Kambala (slush track buffalo race) 2023.](https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/ww7te2/article67573950.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/_DSC2669.jpg)
The throng on the Bengaluru Kambala (slush monitor buffalo race) 2023.
| Picture Credit score:
Okay. MURALI KUMAR
The animals had been transported in lorries from a number of taluks of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragodu, traversing an arduous journey of greater than 300 kilometres alongside the luxurious Western Ghats to the IT metropolis, accompanied by a staff of householders, runners, caretakers and helpers.
To make sure no hurt befalls the animals, every staff additionally introduced drums stuffed with 300 litres of water from the wells of Karavali for ingesting and bathing functions.
![Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Assembly Speaker U. T. Khader at the Bengaluru Kambala. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Assembly Speaker U. T. Khader at the Bengaluru Kambala.](https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/v3ukw2/article67573957.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/_DSC3824.jpg)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Meeting Speaker U. T. Khader on the Bengaluru Kambala.
| Picture Credit score:
Okay. MURALI KUMAR
Rooted in agrarian society
Kambala is a standard, folks sport born from the agrarian practices of the coastal Karnataka area. The phrase Kambala comes from ‘gampa kala,’ the place gampa refers to moist mud or slush. An enormous slushy paddy area was referred to as a kambala gadde, and held enormous significance among the many folks of Tulunaadu the place traditionally paddy lands had been a supply of status in addition to the one technique of revenue. The primary-ever documented kambala was held on February 2, 1970, in Bajagoli close to Karkala in Udupi district.
The Kambala season often begins after the southwest monsoon between November and March, on the finish of the tilling season and earlier than the planting of seedlings. Within the earlier days, after levelling the land for transplanting, all of the buffaloes concerned in farming can be lined up and made to run within the slushy paddy fields, each as a type of leisure and as a mark of respect. The profitable animals can be despatched dwelling with rewards. Through the years, the cultural and spiritual fervour took on a aggressive edge.
Bonhomie and backlash
The days main as much as the Bengaluru Kambala additionally witnessed a uncommon bonhomie of types as political rivals Congress and BJP had been seen setting apart their ideological variations to organise the occasion. Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and former BJP councillor within the BBMP Umesh Shetty – each hailing from the dominant land-owning Bunt neighborhood – joined arms to advertise a century-old tradition.
The occasion was additionally mired in controversy after BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Singh – accused of sexual assault by girls wrestlers – was invited to a felicitation occasion. After intense backlash, the organisers backtracked calling it an “oversight” and withdrawing the invitation.
Jallikattu and Kambala
Kambala is akin to Tamil Nadu’s Jallikattu, in that they’re each conventional sports activities with animals – the previous entails bull-taming and the latter is a buffalo race.
One other similarity is that they’ve each additionally courted authorized bother. In 2016-17, Kambala was stopped for the primary time, following a Excessive Courtroom ban in response to a petition by animal rights group, PETA.
Just like the Jallikattu row, after a whole lot of arguments for and in opposition to the observe, an Ordinance in 2017 paved the best way for Kambala’s continuance. Now, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Second Modification) Act, 2017, permits it to be performed with restrictions to safeguard in opposition to the mistreatment of the animals.