Halakki, which in Kannada stands for Hal – milk and Akki – rice, has a number of stories supporting how the tribe got its name. The one that I like was Nugli Akka’s narrative in the film about the day Narayana Swami (Lord Shiva) was working in the field, waiting for his food. Goddess Parvati who was bringing him a bowl of milk and another of rice, tripped and dropped it in soil. She sculpted a doll out of this mixture of soil, milk and rice and breathed life into it. The two then walked together to the field where Narayana was toiling.
Parvati hadn’t arrived with food but a being and a question. She asked Narayana, “Is there a life that you’ve still not brought to the world?”
“No, I’ve created them all. Not one is left,” he said, to which she responded, “you didn’t create the Halakki Vokkaligaru yet. Let’s leave these fields for them to plough in and let them live here.” And hence, Halakki became the people of the field.
Illustration by Amrapali Das
Source: Vaishnavi Prabhu
