By P.T. Bopanna
The Balele Kodava Samaja in Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka seems to have got its priorities mixed up. The Samaja recently passed a resolution (in picture) not to rent their premises for weddings to Kodavas (Coorgs) who marry outside the community.
The need of the hour is to chalk out measures to bring better understanding and bonding within the community.
The priority of the Kodava Samajas should be to unite the community, rather than take ‘regressive’ measures to alienate the community.
Disallowing wedding celebrations in the Samaja premises to those marrying outside the community is a regressive move that does not stand the scrutiny of law.
The purpose of a Kodava Samaja is to promote the wellbeing of the Kodavas and to strengthen Kodavaama (Kodava culture).
Every Kodava Samaja should introspect as to what it has done to promote Kodava culture. From this yardstick, every Samaja fails because they have done very little to promote and protect Kodava culture. The Samajas are nothing but glorified wedding halls.
Choosing a life partner is the choice of individuals and these Samajas have no business to question the choice. Instead, the Samajas should have programmes to bring together the members of the community and promote bonding. This in turn would reduce the chances of people marrying outside the community.
Some of the ill-informed people in the Kodava community take great pride in showing off their Taliban mind-set, especially in their social media posts.
The time has come for members of the community to ask the Samajas to explain what they have done for promoting Kodava culture and to safeguard the interests of the community.
Some of these busybodies running the affairs of the Kodava Samajas need to visit the Devaiah Memorial Preparatory School at Bittangala to find out how the children are being taught Kodava aat (dance) paat (song).