Kambala in Mysuru Dasara: Debate over culture and cost
The Karnataka government's plan to include the traditional buffalo race, Kambala, in the Mysuru Dasara festival has triggered a debate. Critics argue the event is culturally incompatible and water-intensive during a drought, while supporters view it as an important state cultural showcase.
Why it matters
It highlights the tension between preserving traditional folk culture and addressing modern environmental and administrative concerns in state-sponsored festivals.
The Karnataka government’s proposal to include Kambala, the traditional slush-track buffalo race native to the coastal districts, for the first time in this year’s Mysuru Dasara has sparked a controversy.
Those opposed to it have pointed to what they call Kambala’s “incompatibility with the heritage and cultural identity” of Dasara and questioned the need to include a cost- and water-intensive sport when Karnataka is staring at a severe drought. The argument in favour of it has been that Dasara is celebrated as a State festival (Nada Habba) in Mysuru and that the buffalo race, being one of the oldest folk traditions in the State, should be showcased.
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