COVID-19: Watermelon growers of Polali hurt by lockdown

Mangaluru: The agricultural sector in Karnataka is facing one of its worst crises ever in the wake of COVID-19 linked nationwide lockdown, just months after being buffeted by monsoon floods. Meanwhile, watermelon growers of Polali village too are suffering loss as the annual fair or ‘jathre’ was cancelled due amid COVID-19 outbreak.

Polali, is a village in Dakshina Kannada and is synonymous with the centuries’ old Raja Rajeshwari temple, which draws thousands of devotees every year. At Polali, the legend of the demon Rakthabeejasura, who was slain by Raja Rajeshwari – an incarnation of goddess Parvathi – survives in the delectable watermelons grown in the village.

Myth has it that when the goddess severed the demon’s head, Raktabeejasura appealed to her clemency, and asked to live on. The goddess said that he would continue to live in the watermelons that were grown in the region. In popular belief, the watermelons are grown in Polali, and the neighbouring Malali village, symbolise the head of the slain demon.

These watermelons are distributed to devotees at the temple as ‘prasadam’ at the annual fair or ‘jathre’ held at Polali either in the first or second week of April. However, this year the farmers of this region are requesting people of the neighbouring village to visit their house and buy a watermelon.

Speaking with this regard Praveen, a farmer, who’s been growing watermelon from past forty years said, “Every year we grow watermelon in this village and sell it during the temple fest. But this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak the temple jathre has been cancelled due to which we will incur heavy loss.”

“Farmers do not step into the fields where these watermelon seeds are sown with footwear. The seeds are sown after Sankranti, and the farmers visit the temple to mark the occasion,” he said.

He further added, “I request all my friends and nearby villagers to come and buy the fruit from us.”