Activists Call on Rahul Gandhi to Halt Kambala at Mysuru Dasara

Parisarakkagi Naavu, an environmental outfit that has long opposed the slush‑track buffalo race known as Kambala, has taken its protest a step further. The group sent a letter to Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asking him to press Karnataka chief minister D.K. Shivakumar to drop the plan of staging Kambala as part of the grand Mysuru Dasara celebrations.

The appeal comes from a Joint Action Committee that includes not only Parisarakkagi Naavu but also the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), Dalith Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) and several other progressive organisations. In their missive, they warn that adding Kambala to the Dasara schedule could overwhelm the city with unmanageable crowds, snarled traffic and a flood of waste that would be hard to contain.

Beyond the logistical headaches, the activists argue that Kambala – an eight‑century‑old sport rooted in the coastal Karnataka’s cultural and religious traditions – does not belong in the heartland’s flagship festival. “Uprooting it from its native setting and imposing it on Mysuru Dilutes the very essence of Dasara,” the letter reads.

They also point out the irony of celebrating a water‑intensive event while the state wrestles with a severe drought. Instead of forcing a race that relies on large water troughs, the group suggests the government should focus on strengthening the existing Dasara programme and, crucially, on giving local Mysuru artists the recognition and dignified remuneration they deserve.

Earlier, Parisarakkagi Naavu had approached Suttur Mutt Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji with a memorandum urging the administration to remove Kambala from the proposed list of events. The latest letter to Rahul Gandhi signals a fresh push, hoping the national leader’s influence might tip the scales.

Whether the appeal will sway the state’s decision remains to be seen, but the episode underscores the growing friction between preserving traditional rural sports and adapting them to urban, large‑scale celebrations.