The Talented Gollas

- Wandering Bards On The Streets Of Bangalore

By Tharangini

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The Tuesday morning was dull and cloudy, like most mornings in the recent months in Bangalore. The sun was sufficiently obscured and the sense of time was lost as the whole day looked uniformly grey.  With great difficulty, I was trying to motivate myself to begin the day's chores. It has not been an easy task these days with both the weather and the covid scenario keeping most people closeted indoors.

Just then a rendition of Carnatic music in 'Nadaswaram' with the accompaniment of 'Thavil' -  both south Indian instruments, reverberated through the streets. Despite being the ultimate black sheep of a musically talented family, it was easy to appreciate the fact that this was pitch-perfect. Unlike a lot of other street performers who have to be paid to stop playing the music. It was not just the impeccable rendering that caught my attention, but also the seamless transition between the numbers. 

The gollas on my street

Wondering how someone so talented was limited to playing on the streets, I rushed to the window to get a glimpse of the artist behind the music. The mostly empty streets seemed to provide the perfect acoustic support to carry the music through the entire locality and it took a while before he actually came into view with his human and bovine companions.

Belonging to the Golla community, these musical bards roam around large localities during the festive seasons, hoping to make some money. Though some are naturally talented like this guy who was playing now, some send us rushing for the nearest source of earplugs. 

Blissfully ignoring the tasks screaming for my attention, I listened and wondered why not introduce this talented Golla to our spotted owlets audience.  Clad in pajamas and t-shirt, grabbing my phone, some money, and my mask, I rushed out looking for these bards. 

Apart from the few garbage collectors, there was hardly anyone around as I located the trio at the end of the street. Few people were giving them bags of rice, money, and other alms. When I called them, they looked at me a bit quizzically, but then soon relaxed and were glad to talk. 

Venkataiah was playing the Nadaswaram, a double-reed wind instrument from South India, while Subbaramiah, his brother-in-law, supported him on the 'Thavil' or the percussion instrument. The six-year-old bull that accompanied them was called Seethamma, an unusual name for a bull. Turmeric and vermillion adorned its forehead and a simple bell hung around its neck.

Venkataiah told me that they spent 3-4 months of a year wandering around and playing on the streets of nearby towns and cities, while at other times they tended to their bit of land in their village. Those who played well were also called by local temples, to perform at the temple festivities.  They also performed at weddings and other functions during the wedding season.

Seethamma's unfortunate disfigurement of having six legs, 2 calf legs hanging out on the side, made the bull an odd attraction. I had, in fact, barely noticed it till Venkatiah pointed it out to me. 

I asked him to play a song for me and he asked me whether it had to be devotional or light music. I chose devotional and he went on to play a piece from the movie 'Shankarabaranam'. Even as I was recording some people came and gave money and food, while a few gave very un-approving glares to me included, since I was making them stand at a spot and give me a demo. 

I asked Venkataiah where he learned to play so beautifully and he said that music has been in his family for generations.  Surely an impressive talent. Though they have no idea about the technicalities of music, their natural talent more than makes up for it. As I handed them ₹ 150/-, they seemed to be pretty pleased and immediately left the area. It was time to visit a new place.

When I told Meera about this,  she promptly shared with me some more information about the gollas who were frequenting her streets. Subbaiah and Nagaraj, two gollas from Koratagere have been visiting Bangalore for the past fortnight and have been choosing one area per day to showcase their talent and earn some money.

The gollas who visited Meera's street

Very surprisingly, the video she sent also had them playing the same song. Maybe it was the most popular one among the gollas.

With both the pandemic and the rains raging with equal ferocity, the days were not easy for them or too kind to their crops of ragi and groundnuts either. The government had surveyed their crop losses and they were awaiting compensation. With mixed earnings of about ₹ 600/- to ₹ 1000/-  per day on some days and some days with nothing at all, it was quite a juggle. 

Playing the Dhol or Thavil

Their day starts as early as 5 am when they get ready and ready the bulls for the day's work. Once the bull is decorated in the most beautiful colors and objects, the music begins. Along with the money, the bull earns in jaggery, coconut, rice, etc.  They will be here for another 2 months and hope to earn and make up for losses sustained. After that, we will have to wait another 10 months until we can hear their beautiful music again.

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