Punnyakoti -Saga of Love, Truth and Trust

By Alphonse Mendonsa
Bellevision Media Network

Abudhabi, 09 Nov 2014: I was in just grade two then, studying in St. John’s Primary School at Shankerpura.  It was our class teacher taking kannada  class and reciting poem GovinaHadu and all of a sudden tears rolled down my eyes  fell on the slate erasing first letters I wrote.

 

I was nothing  sort of but  a  Punyakoti’s  son, having  lost my mother in my birth and it was my grandmother who brought me up. My class teacher noticed my tears, rushed to me,  hugged and said, Story of Punyakoti  is not real one, it’s just an imagination of a poet.  I sobbed and went home with a hope thatPunyakoti  lived with her loving mother happily ever after for centuries.

 

Satyave Bhagavanta Nemba Punyakotiya khatiidhu

My childhood memories surfaced again here in Abu Dhabi on Friday ….. November 2014,   as I witnessed a ballet based on this beautiful folk poem.   I still do not know about the original author of this poem. But I remember GollaKalinga, Punyakoti and off course the cruel tiger. It was the tiger I was most hated in the story then, but today I feel sorry for him.

 

The presentation by a Bangalore Team  at India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi during the Karnataka Rajyostava when I was clicking the photographs for reporting, literarily amused me. I have no words to express my appreciation for the team from Bangalore comprising of St. Ann’s School, Venkat International School and Venus International School, Bangalore.

 

When a well known compeer of the day Mr. Manohar Prasad (UdayavaniBureau Chief, Mangalore) announced that this special performance of the day is choreographed by him and will be presented by the above team.  I was ready with my camera to capture the most beautiful and meaningful presentation of the auspicious day i.e. a story of truth, trust and love.

 

A humble and truthful cowPunyakotifalls in the trap of a hungry tiger that is ready to pounce on his precious meal.  However, the trembling cow makes an request to the Tiger to spare her for few minutes to milk her baby calf and return to be savored by the tiger.  The tiger initially doesn’t believe but on repeated pleas from the cow finally agrees and leaves the cow for few minutes with a condition to return back.

 

To itsutter surprise and shock the cow returns to the tigerafter  feeding its baby and pleading  fellow cows to take care of its orphan baby.   The tiger just can’t believe and refuses to eat her and says If I eat this poor trustworthyand truthfulCow God will punish me and I am not worthy to live in this world. The tiger  jumps from the hills and dies.

 

Per Say , the story looks  simple but it has a great values of  TRUTH, HONESTY AND TRUST. The presentation by Bangalore school girls wasjust  outstanding, the emotional bond between a mother cow Punyakoti and her calf was presented so beautifully and brought the audience into tears offcourse without my knowledge tears rolled down my eyes.  When I was in grade Two it was slate to hold my tears and today as I am on the verge of retirement, my camera did the job of holding my tears.

 

 

In today’s vicious world where people say, Satya Helidava SatteHoda, or Sothaak VaatNaa… neither Punyakoti nor the tiger seems to be so  relevant.  On one side there is rampant cattle theft , on the  other side  riots are generated and people lose their lives only because of cow. Though we won the battle of  freedom using truth and non violence as major weapons,  today  violence and lies are the business of the day.

 

Today, instead of cow tiger is gaining sympathy. Cow can eat grass but a tiger can’t. Animal meat is the  food provided  to him by the creator.  In this context,even if a tiger allows Punyakoti  to live by committing suicide, tiger is the real martyr.

 

Anyhow I am grateful to Karnataka Sangha  and Bangalore team for making my day, here in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.Thank You organizers and Performers.Special thanks goes to my dear friend Mr. Sarvotham Shetty and Mr. Sudhir Kumar Shetty for organizing this troupe from Bangalore to visit Abu Dhabi and perform various dance performances including Punyakoti and Krishana. Both performances were mind blowing.  Special thanks to Ms. Nagalaxmi Rao and Manohar Prasad who choreographed these performances. Hats Off!

 

Thanks also to my partner in Bellevision.com Ms. Fenella for all the pics she captured yesterday which are published in the main report.

 

I also take this opportunity to add one more album below of all the pics I captured during the Karnataka Rajyostava which may have some missing pics in the main report.

 

(PHOTO ALBUM - 399 PICS)

 

 

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