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Mangaluru: Tulunadu’s rural recreational sport ‘Kori Katta’ (rooster fight) may have stoked several controversies, but a bunch of artists from Dakshina Kannada are all set to make sure that this sport, which has been giving a sort of adrenaline rush to Tuluvas now mesmerizes the French.
Well, the sturdy roosters are not going to fight it out on French soil, but colours of Tulu culture will surely be painted across French sky as ‘Team Mangalore’ lands in France to take part in the Dieppe International Kite Festival this year.
The prestigious event will be held on the shores of Dieppe Beach in France from September 8 to 16. The Mangalorean kite fliers’ team has already hynotised the audience seven times in the past with its glorious kites, tastefully made keeping the Tulunadu culture in mind and for the eighth time, the team is going to bring the rural sport of Kori Katta on their kite.
Speaking to Newskarnataka.com, social activist, renowned artist and an important member of Team Mangaluru Dinesh Holla said, “This is a minute effort to display the deep-rooted tradition of Tulu culture in another country. During the previous festivals, we had displayed designs of Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Yakshagana, Puspakavimana, Garuda, Durga, Indian Tribal Art and Botha Kola and all of these had bagged outstanding response from our audience.”
While about 90 percent of the design has been completed, the artists are now busy giving final touches to the kite. Once done, the eight feet tall and six feet wide kite is ready to take on the French skies.
Holla says that the kite has been designed with three prominent colours- Saffron, White and Green, which are also the three colours in our national flag.
“We have used saffron to paint the sun, green to depict the greenery and agriculture of the coast,” he said adding that the team is going to dress in traditional Tuluva attire ‘Dhoti-Kurta’ and white shawl during the parade on the Dieppe beach. They will also complete their attire with ‘muthale’, a headgear made out of areca, specifically worn by farmers while toiling in fields in coastal region of Karnataka.
On the sidelines of the event Holla will also display his line art focusing specifically on the lives of the various tribes such as Soligas, Siddis, Halakkis and Gaulis of Uttara Kannada. Over the years, Holla has bagged huge appreciation in France for his line art and this year he has decide to draw Ankola-based Halakki tribal folk artiste Sukri Bommagowda using line art.
With the aim of giving importance to afforestation and to educate people on global warming, the Team Mangalore will paint an art with a message to ‘save forest and water’. The message will be written in the French and the same painting will be sent to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), he said.
Holla and Sathish Rao, two members of Team Mangalore will be participating in the festival this year to represent India.
