The Poleya's revenge

M. Gautham Machaiah

Brahmins play an integral part in the lives of Hindus right from birth to death, but not so in the case of Kodavas, the martial race of Coorg. In Coorg, it is the 'Poleyas' a backward class community, who are an integral part of all major events. 

The Poleyas play the traditional band called Valaga at all milestones in the life of a Kodava, be it marriage, festival, death or an important public function. Though Poleyas are inseparable from the culture and traditions of Coorg, they have for long been treated as untouchables.

An incident I witnessed many years ago at a funeral still continues to churn my stomach. While attending a funeral, it is customary for close relatives to carry reams of white cloth which is used for various rituals. Once the body is cremated, the unused cloth is given to the Poleyas.

This practice has been going on for ages, but what I found repulsive was the manner in which the Poleyas were treated.  The cloth was contemptuously thrown at them from a distance in order to avoid physical contact.  The Poleyas not only accepted the cloth gratefully but also request that the white sheet draping the dead body be given to them before the cremation. 

Now, after many years I was in Coorg last week to attend the funeral of my 87-year-old aunt. Times had surely changed. The practice of giving away the left-over cloth continued, but this time it was personally handed over to the Poleyas by a senior member of the family.

But to everybody's surprise, the 81-year-old leader of the Poleyas refused to accept the cloth. All his life he was used to the cloth being thrown at him, but today he had the courage  to refuse it.  I could see the pride in his weary eyes. No longer would he allow another human being to treat him as an inferior. 

This brought a smile on my face. The Poleya had finally had his revenge.

The day when every citizen is able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other irrespective of caste, colour, creed and social status, India can be said to be a free country.