New Year greetings to ALL Kodavas especially all who follow the tenets of Kodavaame.
Edamyaar Ondh (April 14th) Sunday is the auspicious first day of the New Year. Traditionally it was our custom to worship Mother Nature by ploughing the sacred earth (paddy fields) and seeking blessings for a bountiful crop.
We seek the grace of Kaveramma and Igguthappa and the blessings of our respective Guru Karonas for timely rains and good crops through the year; fodder for Choma (Cattle); lush green forests with enough sustenance for all the animals, birds, bees and living creatures; may our lives be filled with light and we should do our best to preserve Mother Earth – as is our tradition.
Akila Kodava Samaja, Akila Kodava Samaja Pommakkada Parisith and Youth Wing, Virajpet, Kodagu.
This message is very timely and relevant for ALL Kodavas as it is only proper that we know when our New Year is !
Over the years Kodavas began to celebrate a few Hindu festivals such as Ugadi, Ayudha Puja, Dussehra and Mahashivaratri. It was quite common for Edamyaar Ondh to be called Bisu Changrandi (Vishu in Kerala). Tamil New year is also on the same day – Puthandu!
Speaking to Bacharanianda Appanna Ajja – a well recognised authority on Kodava customs, who clarified that over a period of time Bisu Changrandi has become synonymous with Edamyaar Ondh – the latter being the correct term for the first day of the New Year. In his recollection, in the days gone by every household did a Kani Puja and customarily tilled the paddy field for the first time. Thereafter the fields were prepared as and when the farmer decided to cultivate their paddy fields. It is another matter that we are witnessing more and more paddy fields lying fallow citing many reasons – some genuine and some for lack of initiative. Paddy cultivation is critical for maintaining the ground water levels which is increasingly and alarmingly receding due to this factor, abetted by the indiscriminate mushrooming of resorts. The need of the hour is responsible tourism AND regreening measures by planting more local varieties of trees and paddy cultivation.
While on the subject of celebrations, this is also the season when many Ur nammes are taking place – many of them being centuries old. The hallmark is the participation by ALL communities that follow the tenets of Kodavamme. This was a wise practice by our ancestors in forging and building community bonds and interdependence, which is the only way forward if we are to cope with the pressures of keeping Kodavamme and retaining the unique identity of our precious land – Kodagu.
Wishing all our readers a bountiful New Year on Edamyaar Ondh onwards and an environmentally responsible year ahead 🙏🏼
