Koley Basava

It’s called “koley basava” in Karnataka, and in Tamil Nadu, it’s called the “boom-boom mAdu”…boom-boom, probably because of the sound produced by the drum the man carries and rubs with a stick. He also usually plays a long wind instrument called the naagaswaram; you can see it covered, slung behind his left shoulder. This duo were “off duty” when I clicked them, so the drum and the nagaswaram were not in use.

The man will bring it to the front gate and ask it leading questions like “Is this house resident going to be prosperous and happy?” and the animal will nod its head earnestly. This will earn both of them some money, or food, or both.

Apartment living robs us of many of these traditional sights, which obviously still exist. Arikere Reserve Forest, Bangalore, 281214.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

How women in Bengaluru navigate their working lives and the city

City of Women is an upcoming podcast about how women in the city explores the calculated strategies, the backdoor negotiations and the sometimes absurd lengths women go to have fun and feel free in their city. Every Indian woman knows that being out in the city comes with rules - rules that determine who gets to be where and what you can and can’t do. But this show is not about those rules. It’s about how they get broken, bent, and jumped over when women decide to do things just for themselves. City of Women is fun, complex, and a…

Similar Story

Unseen work, unheard stories: A convention on women and labour

A unique day-long initiative on February 29, 2020 to create a platform for women to honour and amplify their voices, their stories, and their knowledge.

Women’s labour is often unseen and their stories, often unheard. This unseen, invisible, and often unpaid labour is the ground upon which all ‘development’ in this monster economy takes place. We are witness to a moment in time when women are organising, fighting, and demanding their rights, questioning the very ideas of growth, progress and citizenship. In short, they are making their voices heard and making their labour visible. As part of our ongoing Satyagraha for the Sacred Economy, Gram Seva Sangh, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies along with few more organisations want to create a platform in the…