The traditional sport
of Tamils, which is held in different villages of the Kongu region at least
once in 15 days, was organized by The Vanavarayar Foundation in the city after
about three decades.
“The objective behind
conducting the Rekla race is to preserve the rural culture of the Kongu
society. With many participants in the race being graduates in engineering and
information technology, I am sure the traditional sport is not disappeared”
averred Shankar Vanavarayar, President of The Vanavarayar Foundation.
He also informed that
the participants spend around Rs 20,000 per month to feed their bulls with
nutritious food and get them ready for the race.
“ Known to me, one of
the participants in the Rekla race was not willing to sell his strong bull, when
a buyer was ready to purchase it from him even at a price of Rs 7 lakh” added
Shankar.
With around 3000
spectators watching the race, the pace of the bullock carts on the Codissia Road left
them awe-struck. Applause rented the air, when the swift cart of Senthil Kumar
of Velayuthampalayam in Pollachi came first in the 200 metre category, completing
the distance in 15.66 seconds. Similarly, Appadurai of Dharapuram received a
rousing approval by coming first in the 300 metre category by completing the
distance in 23.42 seconds.
Following Senthil
Kumar, Suresh of Kinathukadavu and Gnanavel of Manupatti in Tirupur district
bagged the second and third prizes respectively in the 200 metre category.
Similarly, with Santhakumar of Kinathukadavu bagging the second prize in the
300 metre category, Shankar Vanavarayar, the president of the Vanavarayar
Foundation, who too was a participant in the race, came in the third place.
Vellingiri, the
Coordinator of Vanavarayar Foundation, who organized the event said:
“Before conducting
the event in the city, we organized the semi-finals of the Rekla race at
Samathur in Pollachi, from which we selected 40 participants from around 250
bullock carts”
Sukumar, a 33 year
old software professional, who came to Coimbatore to watch the Rekla race,
said:
“It was the first
time in my life I have seen the Rekla race. Having seen the large crowd of
spectators at the event today, I feel the concern of the Kongu people in
preserving their traditional sport to posterity”
Noted archeologist
and epigraphist Jegadhisan said that the tradition of using bullock carts in
the Tamil society dates back to centuries before the Christian era, as from the
mentions found in Tamil Sangam literature, which say that the salt merchants,
who were called ‘Umanars’ carried salt in bullock carts.
“The conducting of Rekla Race in Coimbatore shows the Kongu
people’s love for cattle, which they
considered as their wealth when read from their social history” added Jegadhisan.
Link to my article in The New Indian Express:http://epaper.
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