After Bengaluru Kambala The coast awaits their buffaloes for the new season

Come December and Mangalore turns into a large folk theatre. The weather turns 5-6 degree chiller in the daytime and another couple of degrees in the night and it is perfect time for colours of the folk culture to express itself.

On one side the Christmas fever would have begun and on the other side it is Kambala (slush track Buffalo race), Bhoota Kola (spirit worship) beach festivals which includes the coastal food festival, Kori Katta (cock fight) Yakshagana and many Temple Jathres, car festivals and fairs. Though the best of them are still held in rural areas, the Mangalore city still clings on to its past in isolated pockets and urbanites, techies, white collars, nouveau riche, the ultra rich, the gold barons do partake. This is also the time to indulge in their basics.

The folk theatre of Dakshina Kannada has also one places. Thanks to the techies the personal blogs, company websites, international television channels have put them on a world map. December is here again and the city is now gearing up for its tryst with folk theatre. The favourite folk sport of the city is still the Kambala which is not just a folk attraction but has a lot of fun and academics. Fun, yes only when you are such a free radical when you would not mind getting yourself dirty with slush and able to handle the excitement when the heftily built buffaloes and the buffaloes jockey cover the 100 meters dash in less than 14 seconds! Which is just 4 seconds more than the Olympic sprinters. But then the Buffalo jockeys are bare footed and have to run on slushy track and also control the pair of beasts that are splashing so much of slush on their person as they run.

This supremely athletic event has become very popular among even the most modern jean and Nike clad youngsters who try to break speed records on their snazzy bikes on the crowded city roads. Kambala track is also used for holding tug of war and a local version of Rugby. It is called `Thappangayi’. A cleanly shaven and de-husked Coconut is marinated in oil and two teams are formed to reach the slimy Coconut to the goal posts of the rival team. organizers of the famous Kadri Kambala told that `it was so difficult for human hands to securely hold the Coconut let alone carry it to the goal post. The oil mixed with slush makes it the most slippery object and teams struggle for long periods to score one goal.

A local resource bank Gunapal Kadamba says `Kambala’ had an aura of strength and endurance around it. The land lords take pride in rearing the Kambala Buffaloes and they treat them royally and even hire people to look after them, But the urbanites still wonder if it was possible for man and beast to co-ordinate their efforts so well that it becomes a event in itself he adds. On one or two highly competitive Kambalas High-Tech camera finish has also been organized for getting the results right. The International feature television channels such as Discovery and National Geographic have also recorded and aired programmes on Kambala he recalls.

The folk season brings out several other elements like the cuisine. Go to either Kambala, Kori Katta or Bhoota Kola one can be sure to find at some corner a local caterer will be waiting with the local goodies that includes Bajil Sajjige, Kadle-Bajil, Kori Sukka and Puttu, Sanna Kori Ghasi, Appa puli munchi, Kori-rotti and if you are lucky you might even get to taste the `Kali’ (Toddy)

There are 16 Kambala sites in Dakshina Kannada and the last one within the city is the Kadri Kambala which is being organized on 10 December. The other popular Kambalas which are within `reachable’ distances around the city includes, Jaya-Vijaya, Surya Chandra, Kantabare-Boodabare, Lava Kusha, which are held within 30 kilometers around the city. Katpady Arasa Kambala and Kaup Arasa Kambala are about 45 Kilometers from Mangalore.