Raichur/Bijapur, Jun 14: The Mungaru Samskritika Raichur Habba, a monsoon fest, kicked off with a lively and colourful procession through the major streets of Raichur with various troupes performing cultural forms of dance such as Veeragase, Dollu Kunitha and other forms of dance.
The Raichur habba is a three-day annual cultural festival organised in Raichur by Munnuru Kapu community. This festival marks Karahunnime ' when the sowing of Kharif crops commences in the region of Karnataka.
This year, the habba was inaugurated by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao, who flagged off a competition.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Rao assured the community members of making efforts to provide financial assistance to the annual festival from the next year onwards.
The procession was followed by pulsating competitions such as boulder-pulling competition by bullocks and bullock cart race followed by cultural performances by over 20 artiste troupes from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Assam in the evening.
In Bijapur, spectators cheered on, as bullock cart riders too part in a race. This risky race has no rules or regulations and not there are no safety measures neither for the riders or for the spectators. This madness continues for nearly two hours before the crowd disperses.
“We know the event is risky, but excitement of participating always overpowers the fear and risk. Once we sit inside the cart and began riding it, all fears vanishe instantly,”said Shivappa Nagur who is participating in the event for the last 10 years. He however mentions with pride that in the last ten years, he has not witnessed any major tragedy during the event, except for some minor incidents. The entire event is handled by some volunteers.
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