Kantara matter of pride for us: Karnataka tribal dancers

Twelve pairs of feet thumped the wooden platform to the loud rhythmic beats of sheepskin drums and cymbals, creating an environment so electric as to hold the air above the Science College Ground in a spell.

The 12 young men of the Kuruba tribal community from Ranebennur in Karnatakas Haveri district presented Dollu Kunitha or drum folk dance at the ongoing National Tribal Dance Festival in Raipur on Tuesday.

It was a great achievement for the group of energetic men to represent their community at a national level. It was also a matter of pride that the tribal communities of their area recently found international recognition through Rishabh Shettys blockbuster Kanada movie, Kantara.

Set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, Kantara follows a Kambala champion, played by Shetty, who comes to loggerheads with an upright forest range officer named Murali, who is played by Kishore.

Kambala is an annual race that is held from November to March in coastal Karnataka, in which a jockey drives a pair of buffaloes, tied to the plough, through parallel muddy tracks.

“Were very happy that Shetty made this film and now its a hit all over the world. Its a constant part of our lives to have confrontations with authorities, we live with it,” Rajappa, one of the dancers, told

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