HELAVAS
Helavas (heLavaru) (ಹೆಳವರು) constitute
a unique community of singers, who have access to the family histories of
almost all the families in a given village, in encapsulated form. They belong
to backward tribes. They inherit this huge body of information from generation
to generation and are capable of rendering them on various occasions. This
rendering acquires the dimensions of a folk performance because of its orality
and musicality. The helavas of Karnataka (who are called ‘picchakondlu’ in
Andhrapradesh) perform tasks such as maintaining genealogies, singing songs
about the lives of caste heroes and performing certain other rituals. The
entire caste is stigmatized because of this.
Helavas were present in almost all parts of Karnataka and
many parts of Andhrapradesh. Even though one of the literal meanings of the
word ‘helava’ is a ‘cripple’ this profession has nothing to do with that physical
deforrmity. The Kannada word ‘hELu’ (to tell, narrate) may have some thing to
do with ‘heLava’. Alternatively some scholars have linked it with ‘erava’ a
community in Tamilnadu. Helavas themselves link their nomenclature with
physical infirmity. Legends connected with the origin of the community harp on
that theme. In some regions the narrators cover their right leg with a piece of
white cloth as a symbol of crippled state. However, ‘heLava’s practice many
other professions other than this task of narrating family genealogies.
There are many subsects among helavas with their own
alternative professions and idiosyncrasies. ‘ettina
heLava’, ‘gUbe heLava’, ‘
There is
nothing religious about these performances. None of them cater to the dalit
communities. ‘Sadhu helava’s narrate the genealogies of sAda lingAyats
exclusively. They do not have unique costumes. Interestingly they narrate the
stories also about the womenfolk of the families that they visit. The
encapsulated knowledge possessed by these artistes runs to several generations.
Occasionally even land disputes are resolved based on the evidence given by
these singers.
In
addition to narrating the genealogies, heLavas sing some folk epics also.
‘Nanjayyana kathe’, ‘mAgaDI kempEgowda lAvaNi’, ‘karibanTana kathe’, ‘heLavE
gowDa’ and ‘doDDa beLLi-cikka beLLi’ are some of the popular stories. It is to
be noted that they contain, mythological, historical and social themes. These
performances are given by a group of two are three. A big bell is the preferred musical instrument of Helavas. The
metal bell is passed on to the artistes hereditarily. A piece of cloth is
always tied to the handle of the bell. The artiste holds the cloth firmly in
one hand and with the other he plays the bell rhythmically. This is used both
while narrating the genealogies and during the rendering of the epics.
Helava tradition is a fast vanishing art and the artists
are finding alternative jobs.
Further