The resounding rhythm of the gumate

Gumates being sold in a market in Karwar. DH file photos

Gumate

Villagers in Uttara Kannada play gumates.

Gumates being sold

Just a stone’s throw away from the home of the Halakki tribal community’s nightingale, Padma Shri Sukri Bommagowda, the sounds of the gumate fill the air. As 32-year-old Ramagouda Badageri joins a band of three others, the beats of the instrument welcome some special visitors to Ankola’s Badageri village.

People of Ramagouda’s community in the coastal areas of Uttara Kannada are familiar with the sound of this folk instrument. They hear it every harvest season (suggi) and on festivals like Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Tulsi Vivah, apart from weddings and housewarming ceremonies. But for first-time urban visitors, the unique instrument and its sound are nothing short of entrancing.

Ramagouda is among the handful of young people still playing the instrument and keeping this tradition alive. He learnt the nuances from elders in his community and now performs on various occasions.

Gumate is a percussion instrument made out of a baked earthen pot. It is predominantly used by the Halakki community. Some other communities like the Kunbis, Komarpanths, Namdharis and Siddis play the instrument but with slight variations.

It is mostly used in the coastal belt of Uttara Kannada in Karwar, Ankola, Kumta and Honnavar, as well as in parts of Dakshina Kannada and the coast of Goa and Maharashtra. It is known by different names in some places, for instance, it is referred to as the ghumot in Goa.

While it is difficult to trace the origin of the instrument, early references to it can be found in the accounts of some Portuguese travellers, who recorded seeing it during their visit to Keladi in Shivamogga district in the 17th century.

“There are three types of gumates — a jug-shaped gumate that is nearly two to two-and-a-half feet long, a kolu gumate that is nearly three feet in length and a gumate pang that is smaller in size and is in the shape of an earthen pot. But now, only gumate and gumate pang are popularly used,” explains N R Nayak, a researcher of tribal culture.

This pot has cavities on both sides and a bulge in the centre. While the bigger ones are covered with chaape (animal skin), the smaller ones, which are two to three inches in diameter, are left hollow.

A variety of materials

Traditionally, the tribal communities were hunters. They used to form the head of the drum by tying the treated skin of a monitor lizard to the larger cavity of the pot using a rope made of grass. But after stricter forest acts came into existence, the use of the skin of monitor lizards was banned, since it was deemed an endangered species. Since then, there have been various experiments using copper, synthetic fibre and leather.

“The customised earthen pot of the gumate is made by skilled potters in villages like Kujalli and Adluru (villages in Uttara Kannada). After this, the process involves soaking animal skin in rice water to make it smooth and then tying the leather to the pot after it is heated. This is done by the artists,” says Madev Gouda Heravatta, an artist from a village near Kumta.

The gumate is traditionally played by men. They hang the instrument on their neck using a rope and strike the drumhead with one hand while controlling the tone by opening and closing the smaller cavity with the other.

“The gumate troupes that have at least six members usually divide themselves into two. While a few of them play the gumate, the others play a kachala (a large-sized cymbal) and jagate (a hand-held metal percussion instrument). One artist sings the ‘gumate pada’ (a form of verses) and others join along. In some troupes, an artist called a ‘kucha’ dances at the centre with gumate players standing around him,” explains Nayak.

The ‘gumate pada’ is usually drawn from stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and historical incidents. It uses rustic language and in recent days, also addresses social issues. The gumate show, which goes on throughout the night, also has short skits called ‘hagana’. The skits use humour to break the monotony.

“As the legend goes, the Halakki people are descendants of the Pandavas and have strength like Bhima. This is why they can sing and dance holding the bulky gumate. Centuries ago, there was no source of entertainment and so, the communities would wind down after the day’s hard work by singing songs and playing instruments,” says Akshata Krishnamurthy, a teacher who has researched the tribes of Uttara Kannada.

Usually, the gumate shows begin after the rainy season, but gumate pang is popularly played during festivals.

“In the Kumta area, the gumate pang is used while singing bhajans. It is an essential part of celebrations during Ganesh Chaturthi. Therefore, the sale of the instrument increases in the markets of Karwar and Kumta during the festival,” said Shridhar Uppinganapathi, a school teacher from Hegde near Kumta.

He adds that earlier, a gumate could be seen hanging by hooks in every Halakki home. But today, it is rare due to the unavailability of the animal skin that produced a peculiar soothing tone, lack of patronage of the traditional art form and disinterest of youth in carrying it forward.

In an attempt to revive it, there have been many experiments, giving slightly different forms to the instrument. Recently, Ramachandra Banta Gowda, a folk artist from Amdalli village near Karwar crafted a gumate using a single piece of wood.

“Some people have designed it using copper, but making it using wood is rare. Due to Ramachandra Gowda’s precision and diligence, his instrument produces an earthy sound similar to the one produced by the gumate made with leather from monitor lizards,” said G D Govindkumar, a litterateur from Mudaga village, appreciating the attempt.