K'taka caste cauldron simmers as Kurubas demand ST status

Davangere (Karnataka) : Karnataka's third biggest community Kuruba (Shepherds) under the joint leadership of Kuruba community seer, Kaginele Niranjananadapuri Swamiji and Karnataka rural development and Panchayat Raj Minister, K. S. Eshwarappa would organise community's padayatra from Kaaginele to Bengaluru demanding that their community be included in the list of Schedule Tribe castes.

This was announced by Eshwarappa in a press conference here stating that the padayatra of Kurubas would commence from Kaginele to Bengaluru from January 5, 2021. "This is apolitical movement. This is nothing to do with any party in power here or elsewhere. This is the community's work, therefore, we all have joined hands with our community seer's hands," he explained.

While the seer, Niranjananadapuri Swamiji stated that prior to organising padayatra, the community will organise four massive conventions in four directions of the state. "As part of our four massive conventions, the first convention will be the women's convention and this will be organised on November 8 in Kaginele at Haveri, he explained.

He further added that the community will organise other conventions in Davangere, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Bagalakote districts.

Besides these conventions, the biggest one with 10 lakh people's participation will be held in Bengaluru palace on February 7, to demand that the community be included in the list of ST castes.

Kuruba community's demand to include them into ST caste will pit them directly against the powerful Nayaka community in the state.

The Nayaka community is always in war with the Kurubas at the local level. Both communities claim that they are seven to eight per cent each of the voters in the state. Both communities largely interlinked geographically, socially and politically in the state.

It can be noted that Kaginele Kanaka Guru peetha, is a main matha of Kuruba community and it is the spiritual and cultural centre of this community. This matha is located in Haveri district.

Kuruba's subscribe to teachings of Kanakadasa. He was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, poet, philosopher, saint and a musician.

He is known for his keertanas and ugabhoga, compositions in the Kannada language for Carnatic music. Like other Haridasas, he used simple Kannada language and native metrical forms for his compositions.

For Kurubas in Karnataka Kaaginele is no less important than the Bethlehem of the Christians.