How Sports Clubs are bringing back lost Kannada sentiments

Karnataka is a fascinating cosmopolitan state. One can see a Kerala Mallu owning a typical Hassan Iyengar Bakery or a Kannadiga yelling out directions in Hindi. Kannadigas are well known for their accommodative nature.

We welcome all and sundry and treat them as one among us. We proudly call accomplished people from Kannada origin, “Namma hudugaru”. For us, Infosys is ‘namma’ company, even though the company started in Pune. “Swalpa adjust maadi” is a way of life. However, we do not adjust in any way when it comes to showing support and passion for our local teams.

There have been instances when passion has boiled into a rage. Enraged supporters had set the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s sightscreen on fire after the umpires dubiously gave Gundappa Vishwanath out during the 1981 Ranji Trophy semifinals against Mumbai. Rahul Dravid’s axing from the ODI team led to protests throughout the state.

The advent of the Indian Premier League and subsequently other sports leagues gave birth to a new identity for the fans to support by introducing them to the club culture. As sports leagues grew in number, so did the number of Bengaluru based clubs.

Today, Bengaluru based franchises are present in the Indian Premier League (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Indian Super League (Bengaluru FC), Pro Kabaddi League (Bengaluru Bulls), Pro Badminton League (Bengaluru Raptors). A club supporter’s sentiments are different than that of a supporter of a state-team. True club fans want the players, irrespective of the ethnicity, to play and excel for their club. Clubs need not necessarily have homegrown players in their roster, and this has created an identity crisis for their supporters.

To counter this crisis, clubs started appealing to the regional sentiments of its fans. Taking the example of its impact on Bengaluru based clubs, The West Block Blues, the vociferous fan base of Bengaluru FC, adopted the Kannada Song “Santoshakke Haadu Santoshakke” into a chant.

The cursed slogan “Ee Sala Cup Namde (the trophy is our this time), fills the hearts of RCB fans with hope every year. RCB and BFC have constantly used famous television personalities and actors as club icons. Danish Sait’s character, “Mr Nags” has been instrumental in using satire while interviewing players and making them speak in Kannada. Stadium anchors engage the fans during home games by using Kannada slogans. BFC provides constant updates in Kannada and translates articles. Recently, RCB’s social media team has started to use famous movie dialogues to bind fans together.

The atmosphere during a Bengaluru club’s home game is unmatched. The West Block Blues make Kannada banners and chant in Kannada. When AB de Villiers strides into the middle to take guard, his arrival is always announced by scores of fans screaming ‘ABD ABD’ in an unparalleled reception. Although RCB fans are bitter due to the lack of homegrown players in the team, they treat a certain South African as ‘Nammavanu’.

The converse of this phenomenon has worked well. It has explicitly influenced a whole generation of youngsters. The people in question have their roots outside Karnataka, speak a different mother-tongue at home but were born and brought up in Karnataka. Due to regional sentiments echoed by clubs, this generation of supporters relates more to Kannada sentiments than their roots. There has been renewed interest in the Kannada language and culture.

Every once a while, Kannadigas need to be reminded about their identity. We tend to experience dormant periods in between. But these periods do not last long, as movements such as the Gokak agitation and seasonal Kaveri skirmishes have united Kannadigas throughout history. This club culture has ensured that the spirit inside Kannadigas is always alive. As Nadakavi Kuvempu said, “Kannadave Satya, Kannadave Nitya”.