Ain-Mane, an epic journey of reincarnation

Sometimes back, while holidaying in Coorg, I came across many signage with the word Ain-Mane. Interestingly, the souvenir shop of the Coorg resort was also named after it, Ain-Mane. I became curious. The word was appearing again and again everywhere. When I enquired , I found the word Ain-Mane has a very beautiful ancient tradition behind it.

It goes like this:

The natives of Coorg (or Kodagu), locally known as Kodavas have a beautiful and unique tradition of meeting in their ancestral homes ( also known as "house of the elders " ) during major festivals. In local language, these houses are called "Ain - Mane ". Needless to say, this house is one of the most revered space of the Kodavas.

Each clan (okka) has individual Ain-Manes and the architectural designs also vary from one other. As per Wikipedia, there are currently 1720 clans in Kodagu (including 1040 Kodava, 320 Gouda and 360 okkas of other communities). Nearly 1000 clans do not have Ain-Manes now whereas the rest have Ain-Manes standing there from the last 150 to 250 years.

(source : Wikipedia / facebook page of ain-mane etc.etc.)

Ain-Manes have become a symbol of going back to your roots. To the basic simple life we all have left far behind. Ain - Manes represents our forgotten past.

For me, it is an allegory of comeback, an allegory of finding the old you, a symbol of  trying to remember the last lines of a poem that we had learned during our school days,  looking for the same old orange lozenges of our childhood when we visit our hometown, insisting our grand-mom to cook the same curry once again that as a child we were tired of having once.

Ain-Mane is that sweet pain of nostalgia that you do not mind nurturing, crying, singing and re-visiting, the journey to re-incarnate.

In the road journey from Coorg to the airport, each Ain-Mane signage was inviting me to go back. I kept looking through the window for more such banners and scribbled a few lines for Ain - Mane, whispers for the old me. 

"A song of comeback

a haunted trail of a timeless sojourn

of a soul reincarnate

for we all yearn for an epic celebration in beloved ain-mane"