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KODAVA MARCH: EXCLUSIVE DATING APP FOR KODAVAS (COORGS) COULD CURB ROLE OF MATCHING HOROSCOPES, A PRACTICE ALIEN TO KODAVAS

By P.T. Bopanna

In the past, I had suggested the creation of a dating app exclusively for Kodavas (Coorgs) to solve the growing inter-caste marriages involving mainly Kodava girls.

In the wake of the Kodava march last month in Kodagu (Coorg) district to assert the identity of the community, the need for a dating app has become all the more urgent.

A dating app will avoid the diabolical role being played due to matching of horoscopes, a practice which was non-existent prior to the Kodavas coming under the influence of Hindutva ideology in recent years and started following Brahmanical practices.

Since marriage is all about compatibility, the dating app will help the couple to check out whether they are made for one another. This will enable the couple to go to the next level in selecting the life partner, thereby overcoming the need for matching horoscopes. The assumption is there is no scope for horoscope matching in a love marriage.

As I had pointed out in the past, one of the reasons for the growing inter-caste marriages is the fact that there is hardly any bonding happening within the small Kodava community.

With most of the Kodavas (Coorgs) migrating to cities like Mysuru and Bengaluru, there is hardly any platform for young Kodavas to meet and socialise. Consequently, Kodava girls tend to date either their college mates or colleagues in the office.

Essentially, dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other’s suitability as a life partner in the long run.

A Kodava girl who did not wish to be identified, said: “It would be nice to have a dating app for Kodavas only. It gives a platform for finding more like minded people. Inter caste marriages have become common and one of the reasons could be that there aren’t enough Kodava people around our daily life that we meet outside of Coorg, unless in Kodava Sangha meetings (which is only an annual feature).”

The problem of inter-caste marriages in Kodava community is not just confined to Kodava girls, but also affect boys. But comparatively more girls are marrying outside the community.

Photograph is for representation purpose only