AIR to document Kolu Hoyyuva Padagalu in Mandarti on August 27, 28

The Mangaluru station of the All India Radio (AIR) will be organising a two-day workshop to record and document the folk songs Kolu Hoyyuva Padagalu of Kundagannada region in Udupi district at the Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple at Mandarti village on August 27 and 28.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Vasanth Kumar Perla, Assistant Station Director, said that the Kolu Hoyyuva Padagalu were Samaskara Geethe or songs sung during various occasions, including birth, marriage and death.

During their research on this matter, the team from AIR found that these songs were sung in the Kunnadagannada region, mostly on the banks of Varahi river.

It was interesting to note that a Dalit community had taken up the responsibility of moral sentinel and once in a year, in the month of

Kodi (roughly November-December) gave a moral dressing down to all castes.

A team of three women of Upparasetty community, a sub-sect of Mera caste, used to visit the houses of each and every caste in a given village imparting moral lesson – a lesson on imbibing samaskara , and most importantly, treading the righteous path – truth, justice, morality and benevolence. Two women sing the verses for the quaint clashes of “two-for-each” sticks ( Kolata ).

According to their convenience of the moment, either one or two sing and one or two chime with a

palavi ,

Kolu Kolenni Hoogina Kolu Kole .The songs are highly lyrical, poetic and melodious. They are critical yet harmonious. Historically, it was known as

Hoogina Kolu .

But in the recent past, when Navaratri Chikkamela of Yakshagana started calling itself Hoovina Kolu , confusion set it. The Dalit community was forced to coin a new term— Kolu Hoyyuva Padagalu — for the tradition it invented and developed.

AIR’s objective was to recognise the historical relevance of the art and artistes and bring it before the present generation, giving due respect and credit to the creators and propagators. And most, importantly, to harness the harmonious, tolerant, lyrical, poetic language the community developed over the years to show as a model for other modes of expression. “Our aim is not just collecting songs. We want artistes to come from various places, assemble in one place and see their fellow singers, many of who they never met before. On our part, we want to relieve the wisdom and poetry enshrined in the songs all over again and save them posterity,” Mr. Perla said.

Devu Hanehalli, workshop coordinator, Sadananda Holla, programme coordinator, were present.