It’s that time of the year when young and adventurous men of southern Tamil Nadu take bulls by the horns, literally.
CHENNAI: It’s that time of the year when young and adventurous men of southern Tamil Nadu take bulls by the horns, literally. Even as the Supreme Court is to hear a petition on Friday against a ban on jallikattu, the traditional bullfight in the harvest season of Pongal, arrangements are in full swing in scores of villages for what animal-lovers call a cruel sport.
Owners and organisers of jallikattu, which offers money and goods as prizes to successful matadors, have formed an organisation, Tamizhaga Veeravilayattu Kuzhu (Tamil Nadu adventure sports forum), to fight for their “traditional right”. Hundreds of bulls are being given special diets, even as their owners place heavy bets.
Jallikattu, in which several matadors and spectators have been killed or injured in the previous years, has got animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi raising her voice against the torture of bulls (the animals are given alcohol, their tails are broken and chilly powder applied to their backs to make them violent).
The governments, fearing the wrath of villagers who consider jallikattu an inevitable event “to ensure a good harvest the following year”, have not dared to ban the sport.
Following petitions from animal rights activists, a single-judge bench of the Madras high court instructed the police last year not to allow jallikattu.
However, the organisers managed to get a stay from a division bench and went ahead with the show, though with some restrictions. The Supreme Court in July 2007 stayed the high court order.
For the first time last year, the famed Alanganallur jallikattu in Madurai was organised in a regulated way, after breathalysers were used to ensure that the animals and the matadors had not consumed alcohol. Alcohol and adrenaline had till then remained inseparable in the jallikattu arena.
After several attempts to get it banned, the Animal Welfare Board (AWB) appears to have reconciled to a regulated form of jallikattu. “If it cannot be banned, at least it should be ensured there is no act of cruelty to animals,” AWB chairman RM Kharb said.
The organisers dismiss reports that the animals are tortured. “The bulls are like our kids. We are making all arrangements to make Alanganallur jallikattu a grand event with the participation of more than 500 bulls,” D Raghupathi, former president of Alanganallur town panchayat said.
arunram@dnaindia.net
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