Bengaluru ready to host first ‘Kambala’ race
Bengaluru: The stage is set for ‘Kambala’, a buffalo race on the muddy tracks of coastal Karnataka, being held for the first time at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on November 25 and 26, organizers of the event said on Wednesday.
With ‘Kambala’, the organizers have decided to recreate the entire coastal Karnataka ‘culture’ in the state capital during the event.
“It was our commitment and dream to bring Kambala from ‘Tulunadu’, spanning from Kasaragod to Maravante beach, to Bengaluru. We are also bringing to you the culture, cuisine and heritage of coastal Karnataka,” organizing committee chairman Prakash Shetty told reporters. ,
He said that the coastal Karnataka community wants to showcase Kambala to the world.
According to Shetty, Kambala was featured in the Kannada blockbuster ‘Kantara’, which aroused curiosity among many people outside ‘Tulunadu’, the region where Tulu dialect is spoken, who wanted to see it done live.
Shetty said that 139 pairs of buffaloes that took part in the program have left for Bengaluru from the coastal region. Former minister and Holenarsipura MLA HD Revanna has decided to sponsor the food and lodging of the buffaloes and the people accompanying them.
To ensure that the event goes off without any glitches, the organizers also ensured that water for the buffaloes is brought to Bengaluru, so that the ‘output’ of the cattle is not affected.
The main stage is named after famous Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away two years ago, while the event is named after the erstwhile Mysuru Maharaja, Sri Krishna Raja Wadiyar.
Organizers expect a footfall of two lakh people and an expenditure of around Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 8 crore during the event. The winner will get 16 grams of gold and Rs 1 lakh, the first runner-up will get eight grams of gold and Rs 50,000 and the second runner-up will get four grams of gold and Rs 25,000.
‘It’s not about the money these participants are coming for. “It is about showcasing the rich culture of coastal Karnataka to the world,” said Ashok Kumar Rai, Congress MLA from Puttur.
He also said that the event is secular as six Muslim groups and four Christian groups are also participating in it.
The organizers also said that photographers would be allowed to take pictures only on the condition that they would not use torches as this could enrage the buffaloes and run away uncontrollably.
The event managers also asked news channels reporting the event not to set up their cameras as they had arranged for high-quality cameras to videograph the race.
