Ajekar: 11-year-old boy partakes in Daiva kola ritual, wins praise

Ajekar: In a remarkable display of traditional artistry, an 11-year-old boy from Shirlalu has donned the part of a female Daiva (spirit deity) during the Tannimaniga Nema ritual at Panglabettu Sri Brahma Mugerakula Kshetra.

Samarth, a Class 6 student of Shirlalu Soodi School, comes from a family of renowned Daiva artists. He is the grandson of late Monu Panara Shirlalu, a well-known Daiva Kola artist. Having grown up watching his grandfather prepare the traditional Kola (ritual performance masks and attire), Samarth has now taken up the art himself. Under the guidance of his father, Harish, he meticulously painted the female Daiva’s face and participated in the ritual.

His uncle, Ramesh Shirlalu, a teacher at Nettanige Mudnoor Government School, Puttur Taluk, also encouraged him.

The young boy’s ability to preserve and practice this ancestral tradition at such a young age has been widely appreciated in the local community.