Mangalore: Roles that Add Zing to Traditional Dasara Spirit  
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network- Mangalore (RS/SB)    
 
Mangalore, Sep 27: Goddess Durga is celebrated during Navratri or Dasara with all religious reverence. What adds colour to these celebrations are the cultural aspect attached to the merriment. The most attractive of all is the various ‘veshas’ in local parlance or people donning various roles with colourful costumes moving door-to-door entertaining with their performance.

Huli Vesha Takes the Aces

Among the tradition of veshas in coastal districts, Huli Vesha or tiger dance is the most prominent one. The men in the group donning the particular role paint their whole body with the designs resembling that of a tiger. A group comprises a minimum of five men and may extend up to 15 with passing year more and more children joining the team. These tigers with their distinct moves and inherent charm have leapt and found a permanent place in the hearts of the district citizens. 

Among the Huli Vesha, the head of the group known as Shardoola attracts lot of attention with the man donning the role showcasing a distinct head gear and with ‘his exclusive’ rhythmic beats for the sound of the traditional drum. The acrobatics these men perform such as bending backwards to pick up currency notes of higher denominations by clenching it between the teeth is worth a ‘dekko’. The act is also known as ‘Kuri Haakunu’, literally meaning `hunting the sheep’ denoting the way in which the tiger hunts a sheep. 

Roles as Part of Tradition

The omni present Huli Vesha apart it is a common scene to see people donning roles of Gods, Goddesses, demons et all, Rama, Hanuman, Bhasmasura, Chanda-Munda, you name it, you see it. Donning roles during Navratri is also part of the tradition and vow from generations for some community in the district such as Koraga vesha donned by Koraga men, a scheduled tribe community. Donning these roles meant following certain rituals such as abstinence from eating meat and sustaining oneself on frugal vegetarian food for about three to five days when playing the role. 

It is believed that the Koraga vesha was donned as part of the vow made when contracted with diseases that once were incurable such as small pox and chicken pox among others in order to be cured. Once cured the person or his loved one began donning such roles and continued until end of his life. The person donning Koraga vesha painting himself completely black and draping himself in bare essentials made out of green leaves moved from door-door playing flute, collecting coconut and rice in turn as part of the reverence showed by the households in the district then.

Losing Significance?

The various other roles donned inspired from ancient Hindu epics too were performed as part of the fulfillment of the vow. But with the passing years, the traditional significance has lost its meaning and people have started misusing indulging in alcohol abuse and resorting to such role plays only to collect money for alcohol. With this increasing nuisance to the public, the district administration had to introduce strict measures where the people donning various roles had to inform the police and obtain permission from the same. With the time, Koraga vesha too was banned as demanded by the Koraga community with them alleging of discrimination with donning of such roles.    

The recent entry to the field dominated by the mythological heroes and villains are the people-next-door such a postman, metre-reader, paper man, milkman, driver and conductor among others. Though it was an innovation began to entertain the public, very soon it was seen as nuisance by many. Now it seems the sole purpose of people donning these innovative roles is earning some quick buck in the ten-day period. 

Annappa, a resident of Jeppu in the city, who used to don a role of an elderly person during the season, recalling a funny moment, said that a boy from a house he used to frequent for years mistaking him for an elderly person quizzed his mom the reason for his longevity. Annappa adds that during these door-to-door visits though most of the times people and children particularly appreciate the performance and pay handsomely; there are several instances they have been humiliated too.