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COORG BRIDE: WHAT MAKES A SOCIAL MEDIA POST GO VIRAL?

By P.T. Bopanna

I have been on Facebook for over a dozen years now and understand how to put together a post that will go viral.

For a post to go viral on social media, the content and headline should be engaging and the photo eye catching. The post should not be very long.

For instance, my recent post on trousseau that is given to a Kodava (Coorg) bride at the time of marriage, generated over 500 ‘likes’ on my Facebook page Coorg-Kodagu News. A trousseau is basically a collection of sarees, usually new that the bride’s family puts together for the bride to wear in her new home.

My post on the trousseau had an eye catching photo of Pratiksha Muthappa (in picture) in her bridal attire. I have known Pratiksha since many years and she is well known as a Kodavathi (Kodava woman) with long hair.

The write-up on trousseau by textile designer Chindamada Arati Monappa was engaging with all the facts and figures. Arati has been writing articles on Kodava culture for many years.

Moreover, Kodava culture is unique in the world and a Kodava woman is more than equal to her husband.

My forthcoming book ‘Kodava Religion at Crossroads’ has an in-depth chapter on the rights of Kodava women by advocate Anu Chengappa. On trousseau, Anu writes: “The hallmarks of a Kodavati are dignity and self- respect and to not be beholden to anyone including her husband or her matrimonial family.

“It is keeping this in mind that the Kodavas follow the ‘kacchi mutt’ concept. Neither the groom nor any member of his family gives anything to the bride.  Groom giving gifts to the bride at the time of marriage is alien to Kodava culture. 

“The Kodava bride enters her matrimonial home with her kacchi mutt which is her trousseau consisting not just her clothes but also all basic essentials ranging from needle and thread to utensils that she would require for her basic existence in her matrimonial home; the idea being that she should not be found lacking in any manner to take care of herself in her matrimonial home.

“So, though the Kodavati has equal rights in her matrimonial home, she is trained to be self-sufficient so as not to be subjected to any form of favour or exploitation for her basic requirements and thus command respect in her matrimonial home.”

Sharing link to the article on trousseau: