A story is told to the effect that, when a Komati was asked to identify a horse about which a Muhammadan and Hindu were quarrelling, he said that the fore-part looked like the Muhammadan's, and the hind-part like the Hindu's. Another story is told of a Komati, who when asked by a Judge what he knew about a fight between two men, deposed that he saw them standing in front of each other and speaking in angry tones when a dust-storm arose. He shut his eyes, and the sound of blows reached his ears, but he could not say which of the men beat the other.
Of proverbs relating to the Komatis, the following may be noted:--
A Brahman will learn if he suffers, and a Komati will learn if he is ruined.
If I ask whether you have salt, you say that you have dhol (a kind of pulse).
Like the burning of a Komati's house, which would mean a heavy loss.
When two Komatis whisper on the other side of the lake, you will hear them on this side. This has reference to the harsh voice of the Komatis. In native theatricals, the Komati is a general favourite with the audience, and he is usually represented as short of stature, obese, and with a raucous voice.
The Komati that suits the stake. This has reference to a story in which a Komati's stoutness, brought on by want of exercise and sedentary habits, is said to have shown that he was the proper person to be impaled on a stake. According to the Rev. H. Jensen, [151] the proverb refers to an incident that took place in 'the city of injustice.' A certain man was to be impaled for a crime, but, at the last moment he pointed out that a certain fat merchant (Komati) would be better suited for the instrument of punishment, and so escaped. The proverb is now used of a person who is forced to suffer for the faults of others.
The Komatis are satirically named Dhaniyala jati, or coriander caste, because, as the coriander seed has to be crushed before it is sown, so the Komati is supposed to come to terms only by rough treatment.
The Komatis have the title Setti or Chetti, which is said to be a contracted form of Sreshti, meaning a precious person. In recent times, some of them have assumed the title Ayya.
Kombara.--The name, meaning a cap made of the spathe of the areca palm (Areca Catechu) of an exogamous sept of Kelasi. Such caps are worn by various classes in South Canara, e.g., the Holeyas and Koragas.