View from the outside!

Day 77…#100daysofhappiness #100happydays

In all my tributes, I have realized that I have never shared with you anything about my roots. My name says it all; I am a Coorg with a culture and history so diverse it’s difficult to track it to absolute accuracy. Having recently celebrated our festival Kailpodh with friends, I realized inking my words on my hometown, was something that had to feature in my 100 days. Unlike the folks who are born and brought up there, my views of Coorg as an army kid are often shaded with influences of pan India excitement and the sounds of the city. So in humor I always refer to my views as “View from the outside”. 

We are referred to as descendants of Greeks, challengers of Tipu Sultan and witnesses of a strong political journey from being the state of Kodagu to a district called Coorg (as named by the British). Primarily agriculturists or planters as we are referred, Coorg is popularly known as the Scotland of India or Kashmir of South India. With an abundance of greenery, glamorized by coffee, pepper and paddy, the landscape in Coorg is nothing less than magical.  There is serenity in the midst of the roads, which are lined by coffee and pepper plants on either side, complimented by the sights and sounds of the quaint hills. There is so much inspiration in this setting that from a literary standpoint, books and topics of interest will flow uninterrupted. Today Coorg is a tourist hotspot, mushrooming with home stays, adventure activities, treks, animal attractions and so much more. Even with the tourists flanking there, Coorg has retained its charm. The silence is joyous to the city dweller, but too much silence for an extended time can awaken the restless mind, just as it does to me!

We have family names recognizable anywhere in the world by another Coorg. The society is battling between being conservative and adapting a liberal approach. We have freedom fighters, sportsmen, actors, and many more hailing from Coorg. We have legends, we have created records, but one thing that stays etched in everyone’s mind is – Pandi curry. What was once the secret ingredient is now in everyone’s kitchen shelves – the famous black vinegar called Kachampuli. Well if you are not familiar, then here’s to a preview of a clan that is charming, good looking, extremely hospitable yet caught up in our own arrogance. We are the Coorgs or Kodavas, as we would like to call it. We are contributors to the global economy with our crops and produce. We have seen Coorg shaping from a state to a district under various political influences, and to this day, we demand our stately rights. We are from Karnataka but something tells us to never accept that we are South Indians. We have a language that speaks but doesn’t write, the sounds of which seem to be a blend of all the South Indian languages.

We are planters with issues that revolve around coffee crops, rainfall, labor but we will never fall short in our hospitality. Folks here are engaged all through the year with various schedules in coffee growing, each working in a pace that comforts them. The abundance of space, the open fresh air, clutter free roads, small towns, and closely knit community often finds the Coorg settlers disapproving of cities like Bangalore, though Mysore stands to be a favorite town spot. We may have differences with family dramas over property disputes, but as a community, we always stand united. We make India proud with the way we have reinvented passion and glamour in India’s national sport – hockey. The annual family tournaments have created much buzz and flare. We thrive in a wild ecosystem and have found our peace and harmony with the flora and fauna. Animals especially elephants, wild boars and some members of the cat family, show immense interest in our plantations and the water bodies we create, that any damage during this passage seems to get soaked up in conversations.

While Coorg food has been chosen as a must try by various cultures, you must indulge in the rice based dishes served with a host of finger licking veg and non veg dishes in most home stays or at weddings, where the mood is often abundance of food and alcohol. Weddings are simple with traditions that can be embraced with ease, backed by the power of blessings.  Our cleansing rituals are with the River Kaveri. Traditional attire has been in awe across various circles, with the graceful and comfortable sari’s pleated backwards accessorized with fascinating Coorg jewellery, complimented by the stately and warrior like black/ white robe with the grand dagger. The outfits stand out and have become popular fashion observations. A community so small, we are often related to each other in more ways than one, hence we are more clannish than we realize. Weapons are our pride and owning one has been a right, exceptional to this celebrated community. Our homes are distinct, with ancestral respects adorning the ambience. Festivals are few, but celebrated in grandeur. Prayers, food, alcohol, and fireworks mark most of them. Social calendars mark the ongoing weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies that keep folks shuttling between venues across Coorg.

My parent’s generation has been remarkable in the way they have nurtured and cared for everything that is significant about Coorg. For us, we have grown with one foot in Coorg and the other in the city. One generation has witnessed this change, so what will transpire with future generations is hard to say. Having said that, the spirit, charm, belonging that we have being a Coorg will always remain with us and ensure that we continue to be the ‘protectors of a culture so rare’. While we will strive to pass this on to future generations, a world of our own, we do hope that they always see the value in our traditions and culture and make them their own.

So here’s to a community that leads with character, cherishes with a heart and radiates the glory of a hidden heritage. I may never seem to be the perfect Coorg, but in my heart, I aspire to be one! In my journey of learning, rediscovering my roots, gives me a preview to a life that I will always admire.