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Born to be a force to reckon with

The contribution of Vokkaligas to Bangalore has been huge. Without them, there would be a big vacuum to fill.

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Gowda chennagiddare ooru chennagiruthe goes a Kannada saying. It means, if a Gowda is happy, be assured that the village is happy.

No wonder, several people from the community have shaped the affairs of the state as well as that of the country, not to speak, the very psyche of Karnataka.

Rashtrakavi Kuvempu; former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, external affairs minister SM Krishna, celebrated film director Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, actor-politician Ambarish, father of horticulture in India MH Marigowda… the list of Vokkaliga leaders who have shaped our destiny is endless.

The city of Bangalore itself was established by Kempe Gowda in 1537, as the capital of his erstwhile kingdom. The city Kempe Gowda founded is today a bustling metropolis that has successfully evolved into the technological capital of India.

Think of the word ‘Gowda’ and many stereotypes come to mind — the cattle breeder, the land tiller, lover of ragi mudde (ragi balls) and passionate patriot. Over the years, the Gowdas have metamorphosed almost seamlessly into the urban milieu wherever it was required, yet has held on to everything that’s distinctly ‘Gowda’.

The word Gowda literally means head of territory. They are identified as landlords and village headmen and are known to be a dominant and powerful caste group in the village.

They hail mostly from the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. But, history suggests that they also come from Tamil Nadu, Yenamanji Putturu near Kanchi, to be specific.

People from the Vokkaliga caste group are referred to as Gowdas, and they make an impressive number in the state.

Major subcastes of the Vokkaliga community are Gangadikar Vokkaligas, Kunchitiga Vokkaligas, Hallikar Vokkaligas, Namdhari Vokkaligas and Morasu Vokkaligas.

There has been some amount of crisscrossing of Gowdas between the south Indian states.

For instance, the Gangadikar Vokkaligas of the Western Ganga dynasty share their origin with the Thooran Kootam of the Kongu Vellalar Gounder caste, a prominent Gowda community from Tamil Nadu. They migrated to Halebid in Hassan district and spread across the state.

From being primarily land tillers and agriculturists, the Vokkaligas have branched out to various occupations: from academy to real estate, the community’s everywhere.

“This is especially true of the Vokkaligas in Bangalore, who have adapted to the demands of the time,” says Ramachandra Gowda, Karnataka minister for medical education. “The Vokkaligas have been innovative. They have spread out to various professions and even migrated to different parts of the country,” he said.

His wife, Yashoda Gowda, said that for ages, Vokkaligas had been known for their valour, courage, humanity and impartial governance. “But, like with most big communities, even the Gowda community ails from problems like internal squabbles, selfishness and lack of authoritative leadership that can hold the community together so that we can identify and work towards fulfilling common interests. Vokkaligas have, somewhere along the way, lost direction. The incompetence of some Vokkaliga leaders has become a matter of shame, so much so that some Gowdas holding important posts don’t even want to be recognised as Vokkaligas anymore.”

But this is a community that has been traditionally associated with hard work. “The Gowdas who come from the agricultural background are known to turn mud into gold. Today, we are one of the most prosperous communities,” says Prem Gowda, director of the Kannada blockbuster film Jogi.

One of the modern ills that have plagued the Gowda community is the onslaught of nuclear family living arrangement in metros.

To drum up support to preserve the interests of their community, the Gowdas have floated various organisations.

One of the oldest, perhaps, is the Vokkaligara Sangha founded in 1906 in the erstwhile Mysore state. It is headquartered in Bangalore and has many affiliated regional sanghas.

Today, Vokkaligara Sangha is one of the premium community organisations in Karnataka. The Sangha runs reputed educational institutions such as the Bangalore Institute of Technology and Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS).

“Our main objective is to promote the social, cultural and educational aspirations of the community at large,” says Puttaswamy Gowda, an active member of the sangha.

This community is also active in politics and leadership having given the country one prime minister, and Karnataka, five chief ministers to date. They form an economically significant sect. Gowdas are present in huge numbers in the Indian Armed Forces.

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