With the competitive Kambala (slush track buffalo race) scheduled to kick-start in Bengaluru for two days from this November 25, between 100 and 130 pairs of buffaloes are expected run in the race, according to K.S. Ashok Kumar Rai, president, Bengaluru Kambala Committee and MLA of Puttur in Dakshina Kannada.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday after holding a preliminary meeting with the owners of Kambala race buffaloes, the MLA said that the Kambala will be organised on Palace Grounds for the global exposure to “folk sports” of Karnataka’s coastal region. The event will be held with the slogan “Bengaluru Kambala, Namma Kambala” under the auspices of Kamabla Committee of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod (Kerala) districts and Bengaluru Kambala Committee.
The participating buffaloes will be transported in lorries from the coastal belt on November 23 with their handlers, jockeys and owners. All the pairs will start from one identified place and will proceed to Bengaluru in a procession. They will halt in Hassan for about two hours where the animals will take rest. They will be provided with food and water at the resting place. There will be veterinary doctors and veterinary ambulances with the team to attend to any emergencies and health problems of animals.
“The drinking water for animals will be taken in about five or six tankers from the coastal belt. The food for buffaloes will also be taken along. It is in the interest of protecting the health of animals,” Mr. Rai who is also the president of Uppinangady Kambala Samithi said.
The MLA said that about seven lakh to eight lakh persons are expected to view Kamabla in Bengaluru. It will start at 10 a.m. on November 25 and will continue all night and end on November 26. “There will be 2,000 VVIP seats and gallery for 15,000 people. In addition, there will be 125 stalls which will showcase the products and food items of coastal region,” he said.
“Actors Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Rishab Shetty and Anushka Shetty are expected to attend the event,” he said.
To a question, Mr. Rai said that the soil and water in Bengaluru is conducive for holding the race. “The trial run will also be conducted on Palace Grounds for three or four days in advance ahead of Kambala. The double track will be 145-m-long,” he said.
The MLA said that the State government will be demanded to provide one acre land in Bengaluru to construct Tulu Bhavan. In addition, there is a demand from Kambala lovers to construct a Kambala Bhavan at Pilikula on about two acres of land. The government will also be urged to construct the same.
Belapu Deviprasad Shetty, president, Kamabla Committee of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod (Kerala) districts, said that more youths are now getting attracted towards Kambala. Three more meetings will be held with the Kambala stakeholders ahead of Bengaluru Kambala to make it a success.
