<p>As the pairs of buffaloes ran in full speed splashing water around, the heart beat of the audience too rose high.<br /><br /> </p>.<p>When one buffalo slowed down and the other overtook, the audience cheered the pair to reach the finishing point quickly.<br /><br /> The 5th year of the annually held day and night Netravati-Phalguni Kambala in the marshy field in front of Gutthu Mane at Pilikula brought the traditional sports Kambala alive. <br /><br /><br />The buffalo race entertained the crowd, especially a bunch of foreigners and the youth and delegates from other States who have arrived at Mangalore to take part in the 17th National Youth Festival. The Kambala which was organised on Sunday as a part of the Youth Festival took many youth by surprise who had not even heard about Kambala so far. <br /><br />A duo from Germany, Octavia Von Roeder and Lea Diehl were excited to witness Kambala for the first time. The two girls who are in India for last four months doing their internship in Prajna Counselling Centre, Mangalore, were clicking photos after photos of buffalo race and were full of smiles to view the event. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Octavia said that she had never seen such a sport before and she was absolutely enjoying Kambala. “After landing in Mangalore, I have been exposed to several new things like this,” she said. However her mate Lea had a different point of view.<br /><br /> Though she said that she did enjoy watching Kambala she did not like the chaser beating the buffaloes. “It is painful to see those chasers beating poor buffaloes. I think they should stop treating those animals so cruelly,” she said.<br /><br />On the other hand, Shelly Yield from Canada did not find any cruelty aspect in Kambala. She felt that buffalo owners and riders were treating the buffaloes quite well. “A little beating would not harm much,” she said. Overwhelmed to see the sport, Shelly who is in India for three months tour said she had come to Mangalore on Sunday particularly to see Kambala. <br /><br />“I read about the sport in one of the website guide and I decided to watch it. Buffalo race could be compared to Dog Sledding in Canada where dogs are made to race on the snow,” she said.<br /><br />I too would run!<br />For the girls from Goa who have come down to Mangalore to take part in the Youth Festival, buffalo race was something they never heard of. <br /><br />Giving full marks to Kambala, a participant Shwetha Nayak commented “It’s superb!”<br />“Seeing the marshy field and the buffaloes running, I too felt like jumping into the field and running like them. I would not have mind running if buffaloes were not in the marshy field,” she exclaimed.<br /><br />Great sprinters<br />The sports coaches from Sports Association of Karnataka who have also come to witness the Youth Fest were taken away by surprise looking at the stamina of the buffalo chasers. <br /><br />“If these racers can run in such a speed, handling the buffaloes without any formal training, I wonder how they would run in the athletics meets if provided with formal training. They have great stamina and they can be good sprinters,” said Kho-kho coach Sridhar from Bangalore.<br /><br />Several NSS and NCC students from different colleges too had rushed to Pilikula to see the race. The Kambala was held in three categories namely, Negilu Kiriya and Hiriya, Adda Halage and Hagga Kiriya and Hiriya. Over 130 pairs of buffaloes had registered for the contest by Sunday evening. <br /><br />The event would conclude on Monday at 8 am. In order to avoid harassment of buffaloes, the announcer in the Kambala kept on warning the racers to stop beating buffaloes unnecessarily. At times the racers were called in person and given a lecture to avoid the beatings.<br /></p>
<p>As the pairs of buffaloes ran in full speed splashing water around, the heart beat of the audience too rose high.<br /><br /> </p>.<p>When one buffalo slowed down and the other overtook, the audience cheered the pair to reach the finishing point quickly.<br /><br /> The 5th year of the annually held day and night Netravati-Phalguni Kambala in the marshy field in front of Gutthu Mane at Pilikula brought the traditional sports Kambala alive. <br /><br /><br />The buffalo race entertained the crowd, especially a bunch of foreigners and the youth and delegates from other States who have arrived at Mangalore to take part in the 17th National Youth Festival. The Kambala which was organised on Sunday as a part of the Youth Festival took many youth by surprise who had not even heard about Kambala so far. <br /><br />A duo from Germany, Octavia Von Roeder and Lea Diehl were excited to witness Kambala for the first time. The two girls who are in India for last four months doing their internship in Prajna Counselling Centre, Mangalore, were clicking photos after photos of buffalo race and were full of smiles to view the event. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Octavia said that she had never seen such a sport before and she was absolutely enjoying Kambala. “After landing in Mangalore, I have been exposed to several new things like this,” she said. However her mate Lea had a different point of view.<br /><br /> Though she said that she did enjoy watching Kambala she did not like the chaser beating the buffaloes. “It is painful to see those chasers beating poor buffaloes. I think they should stop treating those animals so cruelly,” she said.<br /><br />On the other hand, Shelly Yield from Canada did not find any cruelty aspect in Kambala. She felt that buffalo owners and riders were treating the buffaloes quite well. “A little beating would not harm much,” she said. Overwhelmed to see the sport, Shelly who is in India for three months tour said she had come to Mangalore on Sunday particularly to see Kambala. <br /><br />“I read about the sport in one of the website guide and I decided to watch it. Buffalo race could be compared to Dog Sledding in Canada where dogs are made to race on the snow,” she said.<br /><br />I too would run!<br />For the girls from Goa who have come down to Mangalore to take part in the Youth Festival, buffalo race was something they never heard of. <br /><br />Giving full marks to Kambala, a participant Shwetha Nayak commented “It’s superb!”<br />“Seeing the marshy field and the buffaloes running, I too felt like jumping into the field and running like them. I would not have mind running if buffaloes were not in the marshy field,” she exclaimed.<br /><br />Great sprinters<br />The sports coaches from Sports Association of Karnataka who have also come to witness the Youth Fest were taken away by surprise looking at the stamina of the buffalo chasers. <br /><br />“If these racers can run in such a speed, handling the buffaloes without any formal training, I wonder how they would run in the athletics meets if provided with formal training. They have great stamina and they can be good sprinters,” said Kho-kho coach Sridhar from Bangalore.<br /><br />Several NSS and NCC students from different colleges too had rushed to Pilikula to see the race. The Kambala was held in three categories namely, Negilu Kiriya and Hiriya, Adda Halage and Hagga Kiriya and Hiriya. Over 130 pairs of buffaloes had registered for the contest by Sunday evening. <br /><br />The event would conclude on Monday at 8 am. In order to avoid harassment of buffaloes, the announcer in the Kambala kept on warning the racers to stop beating buffaloes unnecessarily. At times the racers were called in person and given a lecture to avoid the beatings.<br /></p>
