Debate on Hindutva element in Tulu Nadu’s ‘Bhootharadhane’ ritual

News Network
October 29, 2022

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A debate is going on in the social and cultural circles of Karnataka over Bhootharadhane, a ritual of spirit worship practised by people of coastal Karnataka, as to whether it is part of Hindu culture. The discussion was opened up with the stupendous success of Rishab Shetty’s Kannada film Kantara, a story based on the traditions and beliefs, including worship of Bhootha Kola, in the Dakshina Kannada region.

The controversy was kicked off by Kannada actor-activist Chetan Kumar who questioned Rishab Shetty’s claim in an interview that the Bhootha Kola ritual is part of Hindu culture. During the interview, Shetty was asked whether Panjurli, a spirit in the form of a wild boar, was depicted in the movie as a Hindu deity. Shetty, in his reply said those gods are ‘all part of our tradition’ and of Hindu culture and rituals. “Because I am a Hindu, I have belief and respect for my religion. But I will not say others are wrong. What we have said (in the movie) is through the element that is present in Hindu dharma,” he said.

Contesting this, Kumar told a press conference that it is important how we use the word ‘Hindu’. “It is wrong to say that Bhootha Kola is part of the Hindu religion. Adivasis practised the ritual and there is no ‘Brahminism’ in Bhootha Kola, he pointed out. Cautioning against bracketing ancient ‘Moolvasi’ culture with Hinduism, he said it is the culture of the Adivasis. Do not put Adivasi culture in the column of Hindu religion,” he said, inviting strong protests from right wing Hindu outfits.

Bhootha Kola is a ritual performance where local spirits or deities are worshipped. It is believed that the person performing the ritual turns himself in as God at the moment and listens to people’s grievances and provides answers. Several Bhoothas are being worshipped in the Tulu-speaking belt of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The rituals are mostly confined to small local communities and rural areas where the Daivas are believed to protect the villagers from all evils.

North Kerala’s Theyyam performed in local temples and houses has strong resemblance to the Bhootha Kola. 

Chetan Kumar, an activist who had earlier taken up the cause of Adivasis, said Bhootha Kola, a non-Vedic ritual, was not part of Hindu tradition but of indigenous people who are Moolvasis, which was later ‘hijacked’ by Aryans. In a tweet, Kumar said, “Glad our Kannada film Kantara is making national waves. Director Rishab Shetty claims Bhootha Kola is ‘Hindu culture’. False. Our Pambada/Nalike/Parawa’s Bahujan traditions pre-date Vedic-Brahminical Hinduism. We ask that Moolnivasi cultures be shown w/ truth on & off screen.”

Karnataka’s land has its own culture, tradition and history even before the Hindu religion began. Bhootha Kola and other practices are part of the Adivasi culture which has been existing for several thousand years, he later said, clarifying his argument.

Rishab Shetty, who sought to distance himself from the controversy, said he has no comment on the issue. “When I was making this movie, those people who practised this culture were with me and I have been very cautious. I come from the same part, still I do not want to comment about it as only people who perform it have the right to speak,” he told media. Many others joined issue criticising Chetan Kumar for his remarks.

Noting that Bhootha Kola represents Hindu culture and tradition, Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik in a statement said the actor, who is an atheist, does not know the culture of the land. Identifying Panjurli, a spirit worshiped in Bhootha Kola, with the Hindu God Vishnu has led to the controversy, with some pointing out the ‘appropriation’ of Adivasi culture in films that depict Hinduism.

Reacting to the row, Dharmasthala dharmadhikari (hereditary administrator) and Rajya Sabha MP Veerendra Heggade said several such practices have evolved over the years and people have strong belief in them. The people in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts believe in Daivaradhane and Bhootharadhane. There is no need to link it with dharma, he told media after watching the movie in Mangaluru recently.

Karnataka Tulu Sahitya academy president Dayanand G Kathalsar affirmed that Bhootharadhane and worship of Bhoothas are part and parcel of Hindu religion. Attempts are being made to separate those practising the worship from the mainstream of Hindu religion, he told reporters here.

Kathalsar, who is also former president of Pampadara Yane Daivaradkara Seva Samaja, said there are 16 different classes who are involved in Daivaradhane in the coastal region. All the people from different classes are involved in the process, he said, adding it is unfair to try to distance it from Hinduism. He said all Tuluvas believed in Daivradhane, including the scheduled caste people who belong to the Hindu religion. The right-wing outfits are up in arms against Chetan Kumar for his comments on Bhootha Kola.

Recently, an FIR was registered in Bengaluru against the actor for his comments on Bhootha Kola, based on a complaint from a Bajrang Dal activist. The Hindu Jagarana Vedike (HJV), which has also taken up the issue, also lodged a complaint at Karkala police station in Udupi stating that Chetan Kumar’s statement has hurt the sentiments of Hindus. The Vedike has urged the police to take suitable action against the actor.

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News Network
September 14,2023

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Bengaluru, Sept 14: The Karnataka police have registered an FIR against anchor Sudhir Chaudhary for “conspiring to disrupt communal harmony” in a show hosted by him on the Aaj Tak news channel during which he talked about the state government’s commercial vehicle subsidy scheme.

Chaudhary was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for promoting enmity between groups by the Sheshadripuram police in Bengaluru, based on a complaint filed by an official of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation.

In the show, Chaudhary had allegedly claimed subsidies were being provided only for minorities in Karnataka and not for Hindus, the FIR said. “The show claimed that the scheme meted injustice to poor Hindus in the state” and “conspired to disturb communal harmony in the state,” according to the FIR.

While Chaudhary is accused number one in the case, the chief editor and the organiser of Aaj Tak are accused number two and three respectively.

After the show was aired on the channel on September 11, the Karnataka government had threatened legal action against the anchor for deliberately spreading misinformation on government schemes. The schemes offered subsidies for members of the minority community to buy commercial vehicles.

An advertisement published in a newspaper about the scheme had also triggered a row as BJP MPs alleged that the scheme highlighted ‘minority appeasement’ under Congress rule.

On its part, the government maintained the scheme has been in existence for several years under different development corporations meant for the welfare of various communities. Similar schemes existed for other groups too, the government said, adding that the subsidy scheme for minorities existed even under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule.

Karnataka IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge had posted on X after the show was aired, saying it was “deliberate & malicious” and that the government would take necessary action.

The decision to file an FIR against the anchor was criticised by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who accused the Karnataka government of going on a “witch-hunt” against the anchor for asking legitimate questions about the implementation of a government scheme.

“This state led witch-hunt is a direct assault on the freedom of press. Whether it’s political opponents or independent media that asks uncomfortable questions, the Congress Govt is going after everyone by abusing the law,” Surya said in a post on X.

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News Network
September 17,2023

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Mohammed Siraj produced a magical spell, 6 for 21, to decimate Sri Lanka for 50, and place India on the brink of a victory in the Asia Cup final on Sunday, Sept 17.

Sri Lanka elected to bat first after winning the toss, despite heavily overcast conditions, and the match started 40 minutes after the scheduled 3 pm beginning.

But a storm of a different kind was awaiting Sri Lanka – a peak Siraj. His spell ensured that Lanka batted just 15.2 overs, and this was also their lowest ODI total against India.

The pacer became only the fourth bowler in ODI history to take four wickets in an over, and he matched former Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas as the fastest to a five-wicket haul in one-dayers.

However, the beauty of Siraj bowling was beyond mere numbers. He got into action after Jasprit Bumrah jettisoned Kusal Perera in the third ball of the first over – a regulation caught behind.

In conditions that resembled more London than Colombo, Siraj just had to pitch the ball in the right areas.

Siraj made his dance of destruction in the 4th over – 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.6 balls. The victims were Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samaraiwickrama, Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya De Silva.

Nissanka tried to place the ball around Ravindra Jadeja at point, but the placement went awry as the fielder completed a fine tumbling catch.

Samarawickrma could not deal with a delivery that came in that little bit after pitching on a length, and the umpire did not have to think even for a moment to uphold Siraj's appeal for leg-before.

In the very next ball, the left-handed Asalanka pushed at a fuller delivery from Siraj with zero footwork, and the uppish shot ended in the hands of Ishan Kishan at covers.

De Silva managed to avert the hat-trick, but he lasted only for another ball, a push away from body resulted in an easy collection of Rahul behind the stumps.
But Siraj was not done yet. He castled Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis with peaches to complete their destruction.

Once Siraj finished his spell, there was nothing left in the Lankan innings. Hardik Pandya applied the finishing touches, taking three wickets.

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News Network
September 8,2023

Bypoll results in seven seats in six states gave the Opposition I.N.D.I.A enough reasons to look at future with more confidence with the bloc overcoming tough battles in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi and Jharkhand’s Dumri with ease, while sending signals for a realignment in West Bengal.

The Samajwadi Party retained Ghosi and JMM once again won Dumri where I.N.D.I.A parties stuck to each other, while in West Bengal’s Dhupguri, the Trinamool Congress overcame the challenge by Congress-backed CPI(M) and the BJP, a result which it will use to convince the Congress to leave its alliance with the Left.

The CPI(M) had the worst performance among the I.N.D.I.A partners, losing both Boxanagar and Dhanpur in Tripura to the BJP despite support from the Congress, while it lost Kerala’s Puthupally to the grand old party. In Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar, the BJP retained its seat.

Altogether, BJP won three seats and lost one, Congress retained its Kerala seat, Trinamool added one seat by defeating the BJP, JMM showed it still has the zeal to win, and the Samajwadi Party hung on to its seat despite its sitting MLA shifting loyalties.

The most watched fight was in Ghosi where the I.N.D.I.A alliance was tested with Congress and RLD announcing support to the SP candidate and BSP calling to vote for NOTA.

With its MLA Dara Singh Chouhan resigning and fighting from the BJP, it was a prestige battle for the SP whose candidate Sudhakar Singh extracted revenge by defeating Chouhan by 42,759 votes, binning the saffron party’s gamble. Singh polled 1.24 lakh or 57.19 per cent while Chouhan got 88,688 (37.54 per cent).

Interestingly, the number of NOTA votes was only 1,725, appearing to indicate that a section of BSP voters preferred the SP candidate. In the 2022 polls, BSP polled 54,248 votes.

Dumri saw a tough battle initially but JMM fielded Bebi Devi, the widow of sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto whose death necessitated the bypolls, getting the better of AJSU’s Yasodha Devi.

The BJP’s calculation was that the coming together of AJSU and the saffron party would help them conquer the seat. One thing that will comfort the combine will be the decrease in margin by half from 34,000 to 17,153 votes.

The Dhupguri victory will be a shot in the arm for the Trinamool Congress as it wrests the seat from the BJP defeating its candidate Tapasi Roy by 4,313 votes. Its candidate bagged 46.28 per cent votes while CPI(M) got 6.52 per cent, a statistic that the Trinamool will surely highlight to the Congress to dump the Left.

In Tripura, BJP won both the seats, wresting one from the Congress-backed CPI(M), which had boycotted the counting alleging wide-scale rigging, and retaining its sitting seat.

BJP's Tafajjal Hossain, the first Muslim MLA for the party, defeated CPI(M)'s Mizan Hossain by 30,237 votes. The BJP nominee bagged 34,146 or 87.97 per cent of the votes in the minority dominated seat while CPI(M) got just 3,909 votes or 10.07 per cent votes.

In Dhanpur where Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation necessitated the bypoll, BJP's Bindu Debnath won by a margin of 18,871 votes. He bagged 70.35 per cent votes while his CPI(M) rival Kaushik Chanda got 26.12 per cent.
Though Tipra Motha did not announce support for anyone, the meeting of its top leader Pradyot Burman with Home Minister Amit Shah was seen by the Opposition as a tacit understanding.

In Kerala’s Puthupally where Congress and the CPI(M) came face to face, the former’s Chandy Oommen retained his father former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's seat by a record margin of 37,719 seats. Congress in Kerala is projecting a vote against the CPI(M)-led government. BJP's Ligin Lal managed to get only 6,558 votes and lost his deposit.

Uttarakhand Bageshwar was retained by BJP’s Parvati Dass, who defeated Congress’s Basant Kumar by 2,405 votes. Though Congress supported SP in neighbouring Ghosi, SP did not reciprocate it in Bageshwar but could bag only 637 votes.

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