Of Rani Abbakka And A Couple’s Tapasya To Preserve Coastal Karnataka’s ‘Tulu’ Cultural Heritage Through An Ethnographic Museum

The first object he picks is a unique wooden rattler of sorts which he tells us is an instrument used to chase tigers in ancient times. "The region was predominantly inhabited by Jain households who believe in ahimsa and wouldn't hunt animals. Hence this device when rotated makes a shrill rattling noise and a tiger is said to fear the loud noise and go away," he explains as he demonstrates its working.

"Academic and documented history tell only one part of the tale while material objects can reveal various other facets which may go unnoticed otherwise," says Poojary, emphasising the need for greater research involving material culture of Tulunadu.

It is his long pending wish that this effort is scaled up with the government making way for a heritage village that can not just preserve "what we have inherited but also ensure we give our future generations a living experience of our glorious past". But sadly, until now, the effort has seen not much support from the government, irrespective of the parties in power.

Although it hasn't deterred the couple from adding to the grandeur of this mega effort, who also host various seminars, publish the proceedings and various books, conduct educative sessions for students and visitors apart from adding to the treasure already collected.

The seed was a thought that was sown in Poojary way back in his college days by a freedom fighter Yelluru Umesh Rao who asked him what he knew of Abbakka, who despite her indigenous ways of war and being the 'first freedom fighter' never made it to textbooks or elsewhere. This got Poojary, who has dedicated the folk museum to Rao, to name the centre, which was formally inaugurated in January 1995, after the brave queen.

While one floor hosts a library and a numismatic gallery that is under curation, the first floor brings alive the saga of the two Abbakkas of the coast who set an example with their administration and the way they held fort against the Portuguese.

And this recapturing of the life and times of a woman warrior who has lived only in the accounts of foreign travellers and folk narratives was done through a five day national level painting camp ten years ago.

Visitors are treated to a parallel narration of the life and conquests of the queen, highlighting her beliefs, her principles and her choices, which wrote the fate of the region different from those that gave in to the foreign traders.

A land grant of say 25 acres would make way for a large heritage village wherein we could then showcase it in a way that people of all ages could have exposure to these testimonials of time and its evolution. "At present we don't permit very young children as they wont be able to understand by just watching a stack of objects. We need to curate a larger display that puts the object into the context of usage," he reiterates, remarking that repeated pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Remembering renowned writer Shivaram Karant's words when they set out to make a film on Rani Abakka, he says, "unless you recreate the ambience of the sixteenth century, how will you transport people to those times".