Kambala fame 'Rocket Moda' dead

Rocket Moda, a 20-year-old buffalo which had won more than 100 awards in races, breathed its last after a brief illness here at Nandalike on Tuesday.

Rocket Moda was also called as 'Kondattu Moda'. The on-field 'non-controversial hero' had created a record in 2014 by completing the 144-metre race in 13.57 seconds along with his partner Kutty.

The animal of Pairu breed originally hailed from Kota. He was always accompanied by Kutty and Chenna in the race. In the beginning, it was with Bhaskar Kotian at Kolake Irvatthuru. Later, Kolachheru Kondattu Sukumar Shetty took care of the prized buffalo. It was sold to Srikanth Shetty of Nandalike. The buffalo was synonymous with the traditional folk sport Kambala in the region.

Hundreds of people paid their last respects to their favorite buffalo on the occasion.