Winds of change,No longer Kodavanadu

TRANSITION TALE

Kodagu district is undergoing change — traditional homes called ‘ainmane’ are disappearing, land prices are soaring, home stays are mushrooming and the water table is dipping. And yet, the region, dubbed ‘Scotland of India’, retains its charm. The sacred groves are intact; so is Madikeri’s beauty, observes M A Siraj

Nestled in the Western Ghats, Kodagu still retains its old-world charm. Its major town, Madikeri, has no more than 55,000 people. Though most of its inhabitants might crib about a concrete jungle growing around them, a cursory look from atop the hills would make you feel that these may be expressions of exaggerated fear. 

Tiled roofs, with a great many chimneys puffing out billows of firewood smoke, still hold sway. Crisp, herb-scented air still carries its therapeutic effect with miles of exotic spices and coffee plantations and extensive paddy fields sheathing the district. The misty hills, lush teakwood and sandalwood forests, and acres of tea and coffee plantations of Kodagu are, in a word, stunning. Often dubbed the ‘Scotland of India’, Kodagu is a picture postcard-perfect region of scattered villages and hamlets where time stands still.

You can still wake up to the chirping of birds and fragrance of coffee and cinnamon and end the day amidst the cacophony of crickets. As the first rays of the sun filter through the thick foliage, groups of tribesmen trek into the forest to collect honey, herbs and spices. 

Down below, in the glassy waters of the farms, peasants can be seen sowing paddy saplings into the earth. Move outdoors, stacked up shiny vegetables in little shops offer a rich tapestry of colours. Mist floats in the air and the land rises from deep depressions to majestic heights within the periphery of the same town. 

No longer Kodavanadu

Yet, Kodagu has been changing. It is no longer the same Kodavanadu. Modern day luxuries have entered its homes and metamorphosed the lives of its inhabitants. The region which did not know fans and fridges earlier, today has air-conditioners. A cash-rich economy has brought in its wake a transformation that threatens Kodava culture to extinction. Fears on this score are not altogether imaginary. 

With Kodava people opting to move to metros like Bangalore and Mysore in large numbers and the district seeing ingress of people from surrounding districts of Kerala, a distinct disconnect between people and the land is too palpable to be missed. Of the total two lakh Kodava people, nearly 40,000 are found in Bangalore today while another 15,000 have opted for Mysore. Shimoga, Mangalore and other smaller towns too have sizeable Kodava people.

Known as a martial race, a job in the armed forces used to top the list of livelihood priorities for Kodava youth of yore. Till three decades ago, every family would have someone serving on the borders. According to Addenda C Cariappa, president of the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, the district is currently home to 25 retired Major and Lt Generals of the Indian Army. But that era of the land producing starched generals is now clearly bygone. With families shrunk to just one child per couple among the Kodavas, the armed forces are no longer a career option. 

Most of the homes in Kodagu still have tiled roofs, but old-style homes known as ainmane, iconic of Kodava culture, have all but vanished. These ancestral homes  had a centrally located kaimada, a canopied structure under which a lamp would be kept ever burning in the memory of ancestors. With steady tourist inflow round the year, homestays have emerged as the new feature. Every home with a couple of rooms to spare, hangs a homestay board beckoning visitors. 

Engineer Ganapathi informs that groundwater table in Madikeri town has gone down. It can be struck only at a depth of 300 feet while it used to spring out at 60 feet some three decades earlier. Annual rainfall has come down from 120 inches to 90 inches today. Land prices are soaring. A cent of land (435 sq. ft) though carries the official rate of Rs. three lakh, but is available only at the unofficial rate of Rs. 15 lakh within the periphery of Madikeri town.

Government records show that at least one-third of the district is still under forests. Kodava Samaj President Mathanda Suresh Chengappa, says that some of the forests dedicated in the name of deities known as ‘devarakadu’ (sacred groves) are still in place and considers this as one redeeming feature amid the all-pervasive gloom on the cultural front.

Tourism

The government has done precious little to lure tourists although the district is dotted with umpteen number of waterfalls. The most known among them, Abbey Falls, six kilometers from Madikeri, is accessible only through a bone-rattling ride by private transport on a heavily potholed road. 

Anil Kumar, a sports and adventure tour organiser, who has been bringing van-loads of tourists to these spots, rues that most of these waterfalls come under private estates and the government has done nothing to bring them under its jurisdiction. The district is capable of delivering immense tourism revenue if only the officials could repair the roads connecting Madikeri with smaller towns. And yet, in a way, the lack of these amenities has meant that some of these spots have retained their charm, untainted by tourist buzz.

Abbey and Iruppu are, of course, the major waterfalls. During the monsoon, several rivers and rivulets come alive and fall from their hilly precipices with great  fury. Regular public transport arrangement to such spots could prove a great boon. The district authorities need to ban the use of plastic which choke the waterways. 
The Kodava Academy could also think of preserving a few old ainmane together with the old furniture and utensils as a window to its cultural past. 

The centrally located hoary Omkareshwara temple is a picture of serenity in Madikeri town. I am asked to climb something looking like a rock-hewn staircase to find my way to Kodava Samaja. As I arrive on the top, I am rewarded by a stunningly picturesque ambience around. Rows upon rows of tiled houses along the slopes cast a spell. 

There are houses where both ground floor and the first floor are accessible by the same winding and climbing road. The town is yet to have a sewerage system. 
Gifted with undulating terrain, the outwash from homes flows downwards. But the municipality is yet to think of having one. The museum within the Fort is in a shambles with stone figurines scattered here and there. However, the town municipality has set up a few new parks. 

The crowning glory is the Raja’s Seat, perched on the high hills offering the panorama of the highway snaking its way through blue hills to Mangalore.
With some imaginative planning, the district with fast flowing rivers, ravines, lofty peaks, and verdant valleys and preservation of the ethnic Kodava cultural flavour could be turned into a museum.

Courtesy:-DHNS