When I was at my school in the fort area
of Dharwad, there were many boys with the same surname in my class. There were 5
Kulkarnis, 2 Doddamanis and a sprinkle of Patils! Although I was the only Desai in my
class, there were a few spread round the school in different classes. Who were Desais?The
Desais were chiefs of villages in olden days. Their origins are in
nobility and gentry. They were like Thakurs and Subedars, they owned large
land masses and settlements depending upon their inheritance. Hence they had clout
and court-stamina. Hence the origin of the name: Desha(land)-Shahi which became
"Desai". If it were England, a Desai would be a lord of the manor. If you were a
Desai, you could even claim a rightful place in the House of Lords. .My title then would
be Lord Desai of Benakal, Benakal being the village our ancestors "ruled" or
goverened for generations to be politically correct in these days.
Benakal is in Yalburga taluk in Raichur district. I visited the place
only once. Our journey started by train. First to Koppal station, and then by bus and
finally by a bullock-cart ‘express ‘ which occasionally came to a halt this side
of the stream if it was swollen by an unexpected downpour of monsoon rain.
The village it self was in a time-warp, centuries behind the rest of the world! Later,when
the electricity arrived the whole community celebrated! I am not sure even today if proper
toilet facilities are in place hence I cannot take my children to see their ancestral
‘ seat of power’. The members of this ‘proud clan’ clashed with each
other, which wasn't uncommon amongst Desai guys - who squandered away their wealth by
having big feasts (on Habba-Haridinas or Tithis etc.) or in big fights in the legal
courts! They used to have an entourage of ryots, servants, hangers-on etc. The story goes
that one such hirsute Desai guy was sporting an enormous moustache shaped like a bicycle
handle bar and it was flowing down on either side of his
sanguine face. He was naturally so proud of it and it was his incurable habit to stroke it
every five minutes! He would ask his two servants to lift it out of the way from either
side as he drank his favourite "ambali" from a large vessel. Hence he expression
(which my father often used to quote , whenever he wanted to castigate us for our
laziness) "Ambali kudiyuvaaga meese yettalikke aaLu bekante!
His habit annoyed the judge one day when he was in court in connection with one the
innumerable court actions he was involved in. As his hand went up for the umpteenth time
to the handle the 'bar as he was being man-handled by the lawyer during the
cross-examination that the indignant judge fined him a silver rupee on the spot for
contempt of court, and ordered him to deposit the same to the court the next day. Desai
guys have their pride. They would not be cowed by such a heinous act albeit by a menial
judge. The next day he arrived with a sack full of silvers and deposited them before the
'contemptible' judge and challenged him. "How dare you stop me touch my moustache?
Here is a silver for yesterday. And
this for today, and this, and this..." he went on stroking his facial adornment and
picking and throwing a silver rupee coin every time he touched it till the sack was empty!
That is called Desaigiri.
Desai guys have friends in high (and in low) places. When the case went tot he Highcourt,
the judge asked him if he had brought a defence lawyer. Desai guy's reply was that it
didn't matter as he a few friends on the jury! People say in spite, that Desai guys are
backward (desi guys), uncouth and un- cultured. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Look at the people around you. Desai guys are some of the nicest people on earth.
