<p>Thousands of farmers and villagers from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod districts, along with 187 pairs of buffaloes, staged a protest here on Saturday opposing the Supreme Court order on banning Kambala (buffalo race), a popular folk sport of the coastal districts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As the protesters and buffaloes took to the streets in a more than two-km procession, the traffic came to a grinding halt in the City.<br /><br />Though initially it was planned to take the buffaloes to deputy commissioner’s office premises, later the protesters took only a pair of buffaloes as a symbolic protest and diverted the rest to Nehru Maidan.<br /><br />Addressing the protesters, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod District Kambala Samithi president Bhasker S Kotian said there was a huge difference between Tamil Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’ and Kambala. <br /><br />‘Religious tradition’<br /><br />“Kambala is not only an entertaining event, but has a historic and religious tradition behind it,” he said and added that it has been already proved that it is possible to organise Kambala without whipping the buffaloes. <br /><br />“The Animal Welfare Board has been showing the old clippings to prove its point. It should take into consideration the recent developments made in Kambala sport,” he said.<br />District Kambala Committee Convenor K Gunapal Kadamba appealed the people’s representatives as well as State government to take up the cause of Kambala.<br /><br />He also said that more than 5,000 people including 250 runners were dependent on Kambala for their livelihood.<br /><br />Almost all the owners of buffaloes had brought cattle food for buffaloes and many were seen feeding buffaloes along the procession route.<br /><br />On the other hand, a large number of people too arrived just to see the buffalo procession on the streets of Mangaluru.<br /><br />At the end, the organisers submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the deputy commissioner.<br /></p>
<p>Thousands of farmers and villagers from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod districts, along with 187 pairs of buffaloes, staged a protest here on Saturday opposing the Supreme Court order on banning Kambala (buffalo race), a popular folk sport of the coastal districts.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As the protesters and buffaloes took to the streets in a more than two-km procession, the traffic came to a grinding halt in the City.<br /><br />Though initially it was planned to take the buffaloes to deputy commissioner’s office premises, later the protesters took only a pair of buffaloes as a symbolic protest and diverted the rest to Nehru Maidan.<br /><br />Addressing the protesters, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod District Kambala Samithi president Bhasker S Kotian said there was a huge difference between Tamil Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’ and Kambala. <br /><br />‘Religious tradition’<br /><br />“Kambala is not only an entertaining event, but has a historic and religious tradition behind it,” he said and added that it has been already proved that it is possible to organise Kambala without whipping the buffaloes. <br /><br />“The Animal Welfare Board has been showing the old clippings to prove its point. It should take into consideration the recent developments made in Kambala sport,” he said.<br />District Kambala Committee Convenor K Gunapal Kadamba appealed the people’s representatives as well as State government to take up the cause of Kambala.<br /><br />He also said that more than 5,000 people including 250 runners were dependent on Kambala for their livelihood.<br /><br />Almost all the owners of buffaloes had brought cattle food for buffaloes and many were seen feeding buffaloes along the procession route.<br /><br />On the other hand, a large number of people too arrived just to see the buffalo procession on the streets of Mangaluru.<br /><br />At the end, the organisers submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the deputy commissioner.<br /></p>
