Kole Basava, ( the tamed bull)

Have you ever heard that name before….. well if you have grown up in karnaaka or a kannadiga then it is a well known name but lost out somewhere , deep in our memory… .I had kind of forgotten this ages ago…. ,
Today I happened to go thru the interiors of bangalore for some carving work to be done…and I was standing in this shop facing the shop keeper and talking something very serious… and suddenly behind me I hear a bell….. Just turned around and Lo ….. it was “Kole basava” standing with his master.
Kole Basava means tamed bull….
He was really well decorated with a lot of ornaments, a nice silkish cloth over his whole body and a solid macho looking head gear… looks it was made of bronze….
There were quite a few of us in a around that place and the master decided to show us some tricks… instead of just asking us for money….
He would ask questions to the kole basava and it would nod its head… all it could do is nod…
Few hilarious questions and the nod would go on…. Few of us gave him some money and he left…
It has approximately been around 15 years since I saw this Kole basava….
It was such a common sight to see before in every festival, early in the morning he would be our first visitor… none of us could say no, some rice to him and some paise’s to his master would definitely go…
And with this super duper speed of urbanization we are in… He will soon be extinct.
I am glad atleast in some places he is still visiting and this folklore is still alive
Infact “kole basava” name is also given as a synonym for a person who nods his head for everything in acceptance  (with or without brains !!!!)