Bengaluru Kambala to have longest track

Bengaluru: The first competitive ‘Kambala’, slush track buffalo race, to be held in Bengaluru on November 25 and 26 will have the longest slush track measuring 155 metres instead of the normal 145 metres, Puttur MLA and Bengaluru Kambala committee president Ashok Kumar Rai, has said.

During an interaction at the press club here on Monday, he said 116 Kambala buffalo owners have registered their names to participate in the first-ever Kambala to be held at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru.

He said more than 8 lakh people are expected to witness the two-day event in the state capital. The winner of the race will be given a cash prize of Rs 1.50 lakh.

Rai said the committee’s target is to have at least 125 pairs of buffaloes participating in the event. The buffalo owners will be paid Rs 50,000 each as transport cost. Several stalls showcasing the traditional delicacies of Dakshina Kannada will be set up at the venue, he said.

The name of the Kambala track in Bengaluru will be finalised within a few days. The proceeds from the Kambala event will be spent on the construction of a Tulu Bhavan in Bengaluru. The government will be requested to allot one acre of land for the purpose, Rai said.

Rai said film actors Sunil Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, Anushka Shetty, Yash, Darshan, and cricketer K L Rahul will attend the event, which is being held out of the coastal belt for the first time.