Question

How are folk festivals different from the worship of village deities or worship in large temples or mosques?

Answer 1

a major Kannada poet and activist, was a founder of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, which launched a powerful Dalit movement in Karnataka in the mid-1970s. He obtained a doctoral degree from Bangalore University for his research on village deities. His publications includeGramadevathegalu, a study of village deities in Karnataka,Ooru-Keri, an influential autobiography, and collections of poetry, essays and speeches. Twice member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, he is presentlyProfessor at the Centre for Kannada Studies, Bangalore University and Chairperson, Kannada Book Authority.The following conversation took place with Chandan Gowda in Kannada and has been translated by him into English.Chandan Gowda:How did you become interestedin village deities?Siddalingaiah: I was always curious about gods. I often went to fairs and festivals with my grandmother and used to participate in the festivals of village deities as an onlooker. I was also interested in the ‘possession’ by gods. A relative of mine would often get possessed by a god, and I would sit next to him on such occasions. Since he was closely related, we felt safe that no problems would befall us. Also, therewas tremendous intimacy between the devotees and the gods. The devotees spoke to them as if they were their brother, father, mother, grandmother or friend. I particularly liked how they questioned and challenged the gods. The gods too did not mind and spoke back as if they were indeed their friends and relatives.I realized when I was young that the god-human relation is intimate and humane among the lowercastes, villagers and farmers. Among the upper-castes, purohits and poojaris mediate relations between the god and devotees. In fact, only the priests can enter the temple’s inner sanctum; the devotees offer their respects from a distance