Mangaluru: Four days of practice, a recent leg injury and a short break from his job in Saudi Arabia stood between Sudharma Mogaveer and another outing at Pilinalike and Pili Parba (tiger dance competitons). Yet, when the 21-year-old took the arena as the black tiger of Polali Tigers, his backflips drew cheers.“I could have done one or two more flips, but I could not take that risk,” Sudharma said. Tiger dance competitions drew huge crowds this year, with the craze reaching a new high across Mangaluru and surrounding areas.“My body was sweating on stage. If I fell, it would affect both me and the team. I decided it was better to finish the performance safely,” he said.After a difficult effort to secure leave from his job in Saudi Arabia, and flight services getting affected, Sudharma had only four days of practice this time.A nerve-related injury near his toe had already kept him away from flip practice for three weeks. Despite the limited preparation, he took part in the competition and secured his third straight best black tiger award.“I have been doing Pili Vesha for five years and competing in Pili Nalike for three years. By the grace of God, I have won the best black tiger all three times. It has become a hat-trick,” he said.Sudharma began attempting backflips about 11 years ago, but said he started treating them as his profession around five years ago. His entry into tiger dance was not straightforward. His family initially did not allow him to perform Pili Vesha.However after repeated requests from teams, his family allowed him and the repeated opportunities to perform helped him improve both his flips and dancing. Since then, Sudharma has appeared on television dance programmes and talent shows and performed with Kings United during the 2026 T20 World Cup final celebrations and at the Chennai Super Kings’ opening ceremony.After leaving college, Sudharma worked at a garage before travelling to Bengaluru for gymnastics coaching. He later shifted his focus to performances and competitions as opportunities began to come his way.He said the response to his Pilinalike performance this year has been unlike anything he experienced before.Sudharma has also recorded himself completing 62 flips in 50 seconds, and plans to push for a record.“I do dance as well; it is not just about doing flips,” he said, adding, “I am only one part of the team. Everyone has worked hard.”Sudharma said he wants to return next year with a stronger team and come better prepared to perform.The attention around Sudharma comes as interest in Pilinalike continues to grow.Santosh Polali, founding president of Polali Tigers, said the troupe was established in 2016, and public enthusiasm for the competition has increased year after year. “This year the craze was much higher,” he said.The troupe begins preparing about a month before a competition, with its tiger performers working alongside tase performers and a choreographer. Each team selects one black tiger, a role that demands stamina and the ability to combine flips with dance.
