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Karnataka has an interesting mix of indigenous and migrant
ethnic groups. Vokkaliga, Lingayat, Agasa and Brahman form the
local groups while immigrant groups comprise Tamil, Maratha,
Balija, Dakhani Sikhs and others. Apart from Anglo-Indians,
Dakhani Sikhs and Memons, the minorities comprise communities
like Navayat, Mapilla etc. K.S. Singh observes in the foreword,
"Ethnographical accounts are available for 209 communities
while historical references exist for 104 communities. There are
jati puranas for 72 communities. All the communities are
reported to have migrated to their present habitat; in fact 106
communities recall their migration in oral traditions`85"
Eightytwo per cent
of the population is Hindu, while the followers of Islam and
Christianity are 9 and 7 per cent respectively. Jainism, Sikhism
and other religions each have one per cent or less following in
the state. Scheduled castes, including Adi Dravida, Adi
Karnataka, Chalvadi, Byagara and Koosa form 18.7 per cent of the
state’s population. Six per cent of the population is
Scheduled Tribes comprising Jenu, Kuruba, Koraga, Korava and
others. However, it would be pertinent to point out here that
not all Scheduled Caste communities like to be included in the
Sudra varna, but prefer to be avarnas. Twelve per
cent are Brahmins while 9.7 per cent are Kshatriyas — a caste
described in the volume as "nebulous", probably
because the Brahmins could bestow this distinction on any person
or community. In Karnataka even a potter community was thus
anointed. Similarly, certain Brahmin monasteries, like the one
at Sringeri, could declare even a peasant caste as Brahmin after
following prescribed procedures. Thus Karnataka appears to have
been on the forefront of social engineering much before the term
became fashionable among the chatterati!
While reviewing
the Kerala series in these columns sometime back I had excerpted
the passage that exploded the myth that Indians in general and
South Indians in particular are predominantly vegetarian. The
argument that the majority is not vegetarian gets reinforced by
the findings in this series that Karnataka has one of the
highest concentration of non-vegetarian communities. About 29
per cent are regular eaters of meat, another 50 per cent consume
non-vegetarian food off and on. Only 19 per cent are pure
vegetarian! More than 50 per cent of the population takes
alcoholic drinks. Even the traditionally vegetarian communities
are increasingly taking to alcohol and non-vegetarian diet. Of
course, rice and ragi remain the staple diet. The
Karnataka cuisine is less spicy than that of Andhra and uses
more of pulses and coconut than of Tamil Nadu.
As in other parts
of India, child labour exists in Karnataka too. It mainly comes
from socially vulnerable groups like SC and ST, though about 63
per cent of all the communities contribute towards the child
labour population in the state. Like their sisters in Kerala,
the Karnataka women too once enjoyed the advantages of
matrilineal system, which is almost defunct now. Though their
role is considered to be important in social and religious
functions, their overall status is rather low. They have little
say in the family-level decision making. As "unpaid"
labour force they fetch water from wells and other sources of
water, collect fuel, and attend to agricultural activities and
animal husbandry. Though a majority of them are non-vegetarian,
alcohol consumption is much less than the national average.
While doing
everything possible to revive and preserve its traditional
crafts and art forms, Karnataka is increasingly acquiring an
ultramodern outlook. A World Bank study assigns it the seventh
rank in terms of per capita income, and first among the
middle-income states. Its male literacy rate is 76 per cent,
while the female literacy is 57 per cent and is rising. The sex
ratio, which stands at 964 females per thousand males is above
the national average, but not an ideal one. Another spot of
worry is that about 37 per cent of the people still live below
the poverty line.
Nevertheless,
Karnataka has a promising future. With a cosmopolitan population
and a vibrant polity, it is blessed with a strong industrial
base. And Bangalore — the state’s capital — is the
powerhouse of our software industry. The editors of this
three-part tome have done a great job of collecting and
collating invaluable data on Karnataka. This book is a
"must-buy" item for sociologists, policy makers and
capital-investors.
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COURTEOUS
Kannadiga — that’s the picture one’s mind conjures up when one
thinks of the people of Karnataka. The state epitomises a culture
where politeness is neither associated with timidity nor treated as
an artifice. If you accidentally collide with a Kannadiga, or crush
his toes in a bus, he will invariably make an endearing, and
chastening, gesture that at once conveys apology and forgiveness, by
touching your body and then his forehead or heart. What makes
Kannadigas so genteel and patient? Is it because a majority of them
(61.33 per cent) live in the moderate climate region? Perhaps, it is
the result of the Bhakti-Sufi influence? Whatever the reason, often
the Kannadigas describe themselves as "nidanasta"
i.e., a person who is slow, patient and calm.
