The story of the endangered species: Kodavas

Cock tail: a tinge of alcohol and loads of fruit juices. Now imagine this drink is being poured into a goblet till it over flows and then the trickling droplets fall one by one and take the shape of a person. Yes, no fantasy or fiction this is but, the story of a child who was born into different cultures in India. As a kid I was often called as a 'hybrid' for having parents from different states. And for a seven-year-old it was as humiliating. Being brought up in a then small-time place – Mysore -- meant knowing more people and them wanting to know you better. The most commonly asked question that followed this conversation was: "Love marriage?” This was followed by "Where did your parents meet?"

With passing years, I began to relish both the cultures of my parents. My father is a Punjabi, and my mother a Coorgi (the clan prefers to be called Coorgs; I think fearing to be referred to the breed of canines - Corgis). Though my mom's family is Kodava, they speak Hindi at home as they lived in the North for long. So over all, we are a happy family, where everyone speaks the national language and follows all traditions known to all. So, what's there to write about it? Well, well, don't you want to know more about the rich tradition of the Kodavas? For their origin and tradition, please refer a handful of books authored by writers from the clan. But where is the community heading to? Coorg the land of warriors is now a mere habitat of coffee growers striving hard to lure Bangalore techies to their Home Stay to survive falling coffee prices. While most people have moved away from the district in search of bread and butter, the rest have formed an association to fight for a separate state. My visit to the district after nearly six years saw no much difference. Pathetic roads, power cuts, absolutely no mobile coverage in areas, lack of water (ironic that the land originating the river Cauvery has no water) have shown the apathy of the government towards this beautiful place. Not to forget the State Government has done nothing to lure tourists to Karnataka's heaven.

The community certainly needs to be placed under the endangered species list. Most Coorg women are marrying out of caste for they are not finding suitable grooms and do not want to live in the laid-back place. And who is to blame for this? The answer is the Kodavas themselves. They talk about conserving their tradition but why won’t they accept half Coorgs as their own. They don’t understand that by marrying a girl from another caste into their own they are growing their clan (they need to learn from the Muslims, who believe in converting). The district is the most sparsely populated in the state today. While places here are much more beautiful than Kerala, potential tourists know nothing about them. It is high time the Kodavas find ways to retain their land, culture and economic status in society; else, all ‘Maple Mallus’ who once came from Kerala to work in their estates will soon buy their remaining estates with Dirhams from Dubai!