Kambala Race
Source: Indian Express
GS I: Indian Heritage and Culture
Overview
- News in Brief
- About the Race
- Ban and Government Reversal of Ban
Why in the News?
Bengaluru held its inaugural Kambala race this past weekend, with 159 pairs of buffaloes and their jockeys competing on specially constructed slush tracks in the Palace Grounds of the city.
News in Brief
- The races drew a sizable audience of onlookers.
- Coastal Karnataka is home to the folk sport known as Kambala, which was formerly banned by the Supreme Court.
- However the Karnataka government changed the law to allow these races to go on after realizing how popular they were.
About the Race
- Kambala has long been practised in coastal Karnataka districts, especially where the majority language is Tulu.
- Kambala activities, which were first arranged by families in muddy fields after paddy harvest, are now coordinated by different Kambala Samithis, or organizing bodies, and take place in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts from late November to early April.
- For coastal groups like the Bunt community, the races have cultural significance.
- Four categories are used for Kambala:
- Negilu (plough),
- Hagga (rope),
- Adda Halage (jockeys pulled by buffaloes on a horizontal board), and
- Kane Halage (wooden plank with water holes).
Ban and Government Reversal of Ban
- Reason for Ban
- Concerns over animal mistreatment, such as tying buffaloes’ noses with ropes and continuously beating them during races, led to the ban on Kambala and other traditional athletic activities.
- Kambala was prohibited by the Supreme Court in 2014.
Government Reversal of Ban
- In 2016, the Environment Ministry released a statement permitting exceptions, and state governments changed the law to exempt events such as Kambala if certain requirements were met in order to lessen animal suffering.
- In May of this year, these revisions made by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra were confirmed by a Constitutional Bench.
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