We were in the race, not to miss the race

We were in no mood to let go that opportunity. And so were a couple of others, including Pandurang Hegde and a young South African photographer Luke Metelerkamp. Much to the displeasure of our other colleagues* who were waiting for us at Moodbidri (a town near Mangalore) to discuss next set of actions to scale our efforts for protecting the Western Ghats, we had set out on our journey to witness the race of a lifetime instead. Can 'environment' of a place be protected without preserving 'culture' of its people? 

Not to undermine our own efforts, I must confess that there were several times more people at the racing event than what we could bring together for our meeting. It is the collective exuberance that is natural to such congregations, something which cannot be artificially created. There is a cultural chord that binds people together. But there were many among us who were vociferous in their opposition to racing animals as it violated animal rights. They were vindicated three years later when, in 2014, the buffalo racing was banned in the state. 

I was happy to have witnessed one such race, not knowing it would be banned one day. It neither involved horses nor cars but a pair of buffaloes racing on a slushy track with a determined athlete in toe. Much like the sturdy pair of bovine, the six-pack athlete was no less determined to win the race either. It was indeed a festive occasion with hundreds of villagers cheering the racing duo, it has been a long-held tradition of celebrating the man-animal co-existence for a bountiful harvest in coastal Karnataka.   

Barapan Kebo: Sanawa tribe holds buffalo race in Indonesia

This was my first brush with this cultural extravaganza, called Kambala, in village Venur in the coastal region of Mangalore. It was a pleasant wintry evening in January 2011, the well-lit arena was decked up in celebration with people in all hues thronging the racing track. What had begun as a thanksgiving event for protecting the cattle against diseases, the annual racing event has grown into a competitive sport that enthralls and entertains.    

It wasn't a long track, 150 meters only or even less. Keeping pace with raging buffaloes on the slush track was indeed testing. Racing at an incredible speed, it was a perfect test for human endurance against incredible bovine power. For the fear of running over, half a dozen villagers had to herd together to take control of the animals at the finish line. They would calm the animals by giving it a hug, make it eat and rest before the next race. Each of the racing pairs looked well groomed and healthy, as did the accompanying athletes.

Were the animals tortured during training? Were these creatures intoxicated to run the way they did? The organizers had led us to the animal resting places to find for ourselves if that was the case. 'These are no ordinary cattle, they bring laurels to the village', quipped one athlete. These are treated like sportsmen, nurtured and trained in the art of racing from early years. No wonder, there were no marks of external injury on any of the participating animals. I later learnt that some owners even train their buffaloes in separate swimming pool for getting them used to conditions before every race.  

That these are special animals, treated like children and selected for their sturdy features including disease resistance, made me think that this annual cultural event was more than just an occasion for fun and frolic. It promoted the process of natural selection in disguise. The best among buffaloes get selected, nurtured and tested. The animals people race are the animals that help breed the next generation of calves, sturdy to withstand adverse conditions. That such a valuable process was conducted by the communities at their own initiative, and for the benefit of the society at large surely called for a celebration! I'm indeed relieved that the ban has been lifted, the intangible gains of such events are too costly to ignore.        

With hardly anything worth celebrating in the countryside these days, the assent for re-conduct of Kambala by the first citizen of the country (as a parting gift before the Hon'ble President of India demitted the high office in July 2017) has given something for the last citizens in coastal Karnataka to cheer about.  

*we meant no disrespect then for the sentiments of our colleagues who had frowned at us for giving the all important meeting a miss, to not miss the race.