Kattala Ratri: The syncretic Muharrams of north Karnataka
The HinduIt is Ashura, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram. “The transformation of a day of sadness into a day of celebration is amazing,” says Rahamat Tarikere, a professor at Hampi Kannada University who has studied Muharram practices and authored a book on it. The story of the Prophet’s family and the Battle of Karbala continue to dominate these songs, but their striking feature is their many local elements,” says Chandrappa Hebbalkar, a folk scholar who has edited a book on Muharram songs. “This is because of a puritan view of Muharram taken by some schools like Wahhabi, Tablik Jamat and Ahle Hadis,” explains Bidar-based writer Yousuf Rahim Mir Bidri. “In several villages, it is not the Hindus who are walking away from Muharram, but young Muslims.” Yet, as Tarikere argues, it is these “non-puritanical practices that strengthen the multicultural basis of society.” Muharram in north Karnataka has had its share of controversies.
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