Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 21: The state government, in a timely step, has decided to intervene and write to the central government, pleading with it not to ban Kambala, a folklore sport that has been part and parcel of rural life here since times immemorial. With this, there appears to be a ray of hope to save Kambala, sport involving buffalo race, which appeared to have been banned along with Jallikattu and such other sport involving animals in Tamil Nadu.

The main issue that the opponents of sport events involving animals is that the animals suffer at the hands of their handlers.

A meeting of people's representatives from coastal Karnataka was convened at Vidhan Soudha here on Thursday November 20, to discuss this issue. At the meeting, presided over by law minister, T B Jayachandra, it was decided to hold talks with union law minister, D V Sadananda Gowda, and representatives of National Animal Welfare Board, and after arriving at a consensus, to write to the centre seeking not to ban Kambala.

The meeting also decided to convince the union government about the fact that Kambala has never been a sport backed by commercial interests, and that it is a traditional rural sport organized with religious background. This is a sport with which people from rural places here have an emotional bond, is another point the state wants to drive home when approaching the central government.

The meeting also noted that buffaloes that are groomed for Kambala are looked after with love and affection like children, and provided with rich food. Those who groom these buffaloes never behave violently with these animals. The meeting also opined that buffaloes are not covered under a notification earlier issued by the central government on the subject.

During the meeting, people's representatives extracted an assurance from law and animal husbandry minister, T B Jayachandra, that the state government will do everything within its command to convince the central government to exempt Kambala from the purview of sports that are banned because of inflicting violence on animals.

In addition to ministers, Vinay Kumar Sorake, Abhaychandra Jain, Ramanath Rai, officials of law and animal husbandry department were present at this meeting.