Manjeshwara: It has the spirit of Tulu land and farming together in bubbles. The Varkadi Village festo has the smell of rural earth. Its enthusiasm can be contagious.

It relates to patent Tulu traditional relationship with corn flakes, which are brought home as nature’s gift to man, to fill up his home and bring delight to the rural family. Once the crops are in, the farmer has relentless work to do, in celebration of rural wealth.

Once the festival is inaugurated in Navada Bail by B. Padmanabha Bangera by tying the Paddy sheaves to the Tulsi platform, and raising it to the stage in Varkadi, rural cultural celebrations have continued deep into the night, with several sports and games events.

A tug-of-war in muddy fields coconut carving, wrestling and buffalo races were held to denote ancient rural sporting activities. Modern games such as Volleyball (net-ball) and cricket were given a folk touch to expand agro cultural events.

These ancient and modern games provided a clue to the local farming culture assimilating both forms of celebrations in a festival.

Let the Varkadi Village festival (Parba) be conducted every year to gain national prominence, hoped the event manager Devappa Master during the closing session, on Sunday.

While conducting a local traditional festival, with a touch of novelty and modern trends, a culture begins to bloom afresh in rural areas.

A whole society participates spreading harmonious elements and a joyous spirit among all who participate, said ‘Tuluvera Chavadi’ (Hall of Tuluvas) president, Purushotham Chendley as guest of honour of the day.

Several sportsmen and hundreds of spectators united to make the festival quite memorable as a rural farmers festival, as a major programme of the autumn season, at the approach of winter in 2011, in Thoudugoli.