DH News Service, Mangalore:  
 
Mangalore, Jul 13: Regretting over the speedy loss of greenery and traditional occupations, novelist Dr Sara Aboobakkar said the ‘ashada masa’ has lost its original charm over the years.

She was speaking at ‘Ashadada Anubhuthi,’ a unique programme to celebrate monsoons, held under the aegis of Kallachu Prakashana at St Aloysius College auditorium here on Saturday. The author of well-known ‘Chandragiriya Teeradalli,’ Dr Aboobakkar recalled her younger days on the banks of river Chandragiri, where she could witness massive paddy fields charming with lush green. “The days have witnessed a sea-change now. The paddy fields are no more; the same greenery is no more,” she lamented.

“I can still remember the penury of Muslim women in ‘karkataka masa,’ who were allowed to do the only work of paddy. The poverty is still there. But the paddy fields have been converted into big complexes, which is a common scene in Mangalore too,” she said.  
 
Delivering an introductory address, Kannada scholar Dr Sathyanarayana Mallipatna said the celebration of ashada masa has witnessed a lot of changes in the recent years with the advancement of modernity.

The period is identified with varied backgrounds. Some call it as a month of separation, as wife goes to her native place leaving her husband alone in the home. Some others consider it as the most inauspicious time of the year, again, due to various beliefs. The tradition of Aatikalenja signifies the struggle of supernatural power against the evils, he explained.

A poetry session was convened to mark ‘ashada masa’ with the participation of about 30 budding and senior poets, including veteran poet Palakala Seetharam Bhat, Suresh Negalaguli, Nemu Poojary, M G Hegde, Srimathi Rao and others. Organiser Mahesh R Nayak was present.