Kesard Onji Dina brings alive traditional activities in Mangaluru

Bandale residents enjoy 'Kesard Onji Dina' in slushy paddy field, bringing community together for traditional event.

Ashok of Bandale found it difficult to stop his two-year-old son from getting into a slushy paddy field at Pachchanady on Sunday, October 27. When he turned to speak to his friend, his son sprinted to the field and sat there splashing muddy water on him and enjoying with other children.

Ashok was among many residents of Bandale and adjoining areas at Pachchanady in Mangaluru who participated in ‘Kesard Onji Dina’ (a day out in slushy paddy field) event organised by ‘Bandale Friends’ at Madiwala family’s 44 cents of uncultivated paddy field. The field in green surroundings was about 500 m away from the Pachchanady solid waste processing yard of Mangaluru City Corporation.

Devu Madiwala, a senior resident of Bandale, said the event was usually celebrated during the Tulu ‘Aati’ (Aashada) (July-August) when the region received bountiful rains. The first Kesard Onji Dina was held last year in September. “As event organisers were busy during Aati, we decided to conduct it now,” Mr. Madiwala said.

Councillor of Pachchanady ward in the city corporation Sangeetha R. Nayak, who co-organised the event, said it brought people of Bandale and adjoining areas of Pachchanady together. A part of the proceeds of the event will be used to meet the education expenses of abandoned children in Mangaluru, she said.

It took one week for Bandale residents to remove weeds from the paddy field and prepare it for the event. As rains receded, residents pumped water from the nearby open well to fill the paddy field. A separate platform was constructed to enable people to have shower bath.

The event began by offering prayers to revered spirits Dhoomavati and Annappa Panjurli. Event organisers and elders performed pooja in the paddy field before walking down the field to formally inaugurate the event.

Among the events held included ‘lemon and spoon’, spiral run, and the use of coconut and arecanut leaves to glide through the slushy water. As many as 14 men and 12 women teams took part in the ‘tug of war’ on Sunday evening. A treasure hunt was also held in which the winner was given a gold coin. The event ended with people forming pyramid to break the pot tied to a pole.