Kovai girl races ahead in male bastion

Early on January 16 morning, Kalpana set out with her father Karupusamy (59) on a 60 km journey to MalakKoil at Pethappampatti in Tirupur district, where close to 1,000 pairs of bulls were assembled for special prayers. Many were awestruck to see Kalpana ride the Rekla cart. 

“My parents never prevented me and my sister from learning anything. They even encouraged us to learn how to drive two-wheelers and four-wheelers. I used to accompany my father on his bullock cart and Rekla cart since I was seven years old.  Three years ago, I disclosed to my father my interest to learn how to ride the Rekla cart. My father immediately taught me without a moment of hesitation,” says Kalpana She doesn’t take part in any races but rides her cart for the love of it after returning from college. 

“Riding a vehicle is not as interesting as riding a Rekla cart. You must possess great concentration while riding the cart. You also need to constantly focus on the bulls and the cart,” added Kalpana. 

“Seeing my daughters ride the cart takes people by surprise. They always ask me how and why I trained my daughters to ride the cart. I take this as a compliment,” says Karupusamy with a huge smile. Kalpana’s sister Saranya (21), a MCA student, also rides the Rekla cart but does not share her passion for the sport. 

“Probably we will take part in races for the first time if the ban is lifted,” said Kalpana. “I have seen videos of Kalpana riding the cart but seeing her do the feat in person among a battalion of men is awe-inspiring,” R Arun Kumar of Pollachi said. M Prakash of Gudimangalam, who used to organise Rekla races, said that 99 per cent of the native cattle breeders were women but very rarely do you see them actually riding the carts. 

Stating that the ban on the sport by the Supreme Court was disappointing, he said, “It is encouraging to see educated youth and girls showing interest in the sport. This has given us a new ray of hope that the sport will not fade away.”