Bisu Parba celebrated with traditional pomp, gaiety

People squatted on the open courtyard at the Guttina Mane (a traditional house) at Dr Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama on Saturday observing the 'Bisu Kani' (arrangement of fruits, vegetables) and listened to the Yakshagana Talamaddale and light music, as a part of Bisu Parba celebrations.

Bisu Kani had locally grown vegetables such as brinjal, cucumber, sambar southe, pumpkin, ivy gourd, long yard beans, bottle gourd, okra, and fruits such as jackfruit, banana, cashew apple, jambu nerale, mango, pineapple. Arecanut and coconut, the part and parcel of local life, was also part of the Kani.

Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli and team presented Talamaddale on 'Tulu Nada Baliyendra' while Manjula Shetty and team presented 'Gayana Vaibhava' programme on the occasion.

Highlighting the significance of Bisu or Vishu, folklorist Dr Chinnappa Gowda said Bisu symbolises the beginning of New Year for Tulu-speaking people. Whoever had paddy filled the land symbolically to signify the sowing when rains start after a month. The youths took blessings from elders on the day, he said.

The festivals in Tulunadu highlight the farmers' life and and his affinity with the land he tills. In the olden days, tenants were taking the grown vegetables and fruits to the house of their landlord to keep the Kani in the house and also take his blessing and an agreement to continue the tilling on his land, he added.

Bisu symbolises rejuvenation of the agricultural tradition, he said.

Later, people had a grand meal comprising several varieties of dishes-pickle, mango chutney, mullusouthe pacchodi, hesrubele kosambri, alasande palya, palya made of cashew nut and Ivy Gourd,moode and coconut milk, hesru sauthe gasi, Gujje Kadle palya, rice, horsegram rasam, happala, mango sasive, sambar cucumber curry, brinjal gojju, bendekai majjige huli, jackfruit chandurli, holige, green gram dal payasam, banana podi, Breadfruit podi, sweet potato podi and buttermilk.