Dallas: Kodavas of United States of America organised the annual Convention of Kodavas in Grapevine, Dallas on Sept. 2 and 3 on the occasion of Kodava festival Kailpoldh.

The Dallas Kodavas are represented by approximately 25 families who have elected to blend Eastern and Western cultures by presenting this year’s convention with a unique Texan flair. This was the largest convention ever in North America with over 377 people from all parts of USA and Canada attending. The presence of some visiting parents from India added to the charm.

Kodavas of Dallas did a wonderful job in arranging this event and put up a truly enjoyable and traditional show. The pre-convention on Sept. 2 had the local cowboy theme while the main event on Sept. 3 was truly traditional.

Attention to little details was impressive with every table having vases with “thok poo” (the special flowers used to worship arms during Kailpoldh) shipped from India and table clothes that had the colours of ‘Kuppiya Chele’ (the traditional dress of Kodava men).

The booths set up to showcase Kodava festivals were impeccable. The sight of Kodava women in traditional sari and jewellery and men in ‘Kuppiya Chele’ and the more traditional vastra (traditional cloth worn on the head) instead of the ready-made ‘mande thuni’ (headgear) was a sight to behold.  

The sweltering heat of Dallas did not deter men from wearing the traditional dress.

The dances performed by the hosts like ‘Pareyakali’ and the skits performed on some of the unique rituals of Kodavas like ‘bale kettho’, ‘Ganga Pooja’, ‘batte thadpo’ were educative besides being entertaining. Hand-rolled ‘Kadumbutt’, ‘Pandi curry’ and ‘koot curry’ added the Kodava flavour to the exotic local Tex Mex cuisine. In the end, participants danced to the tunes of Kodava Valaga.