Real damage occurs once the bull exits the arena: Manoj Oswal on Jallikattu

Oswal, the head of People for Animals in Pune, says Jallikattu is just a flashpoint in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu continues to receive support not just from the participants in the sport, but also from the urban populace. This is despite a ban on it since 2014. The state recently passed an ordinance allowing the sport, and the Supreme Court will hear all matters related to the event on January 31. For some supporters, it’s not a matter of cruelty to animals or damage to human lives anymore, it’s about an assault on their culture. MANOJ OSWAL, the head of People for Animals in Pune, speaks to Nikita Puri on Jallikattu. Excerpts:

Between 2010 and 2012, you were in Tamil Nadu to monitor Jallikattu as an observer on behalf of the Supreme Court before the event was banned in 2014. What were your observations during this time?

After the Supreme Court regulation in 2009, things seemed much more organised because there was complete anarchy before that. There was a certain amount of discipline involved, but all of that was just on the surface. About 300 bulls would be queued in narrow lanes and kept for five to 10 hours without food or water. Then they’d be taken to a small room leading to the arena.

Bulls are docile and they don’t want to exit that room and go into an arena surrounded by people, so they are physically hurt to make them go out. What happens in the arena is not really a concern, that’s relatively harmless. But after they exit, people run after the bulls and it becomes free-for-all. That’s when the real damage is done, with both humans and animals getting hurt or being fatally wounded.

Was Jallikattu started to spot the strongest bulls for breeding purposes?

Jallikattu largely happens in five districts in Tamil Nadu and the bulls used in Jallikattu are common across districts. The breeding angle is a complete hoax, it’s an excuse to rationalise things. If you look at statistics from the animal husbandry department, there are 95 lakh bulls in Tamil Nadu. Almost 20 per cent of them are culled.

There's a belief that the ban on Jallikattu is an attack on Tamil cultural ethos, especially since acts involving animal cruelty are prevalent across the nation in the name of religion as well as cultural practices. What is your reaction to this perspective?

The youth of the state is quite frustrated with the administration and they are looking for a vent for that frustration. Even after the state government promulgated an ordinance allowing Jallikattu, people still came out to the streets the next day. Jallikattu is not the problem, the issue is that people are frustrated at many levels. People were very attached to Jayalalithaa and her passing away has only stirred things. Jallikattu is just a flashpoint in Tamil Nadu and it’s pure entertainment for those who attend it. 

Is it possible to find a middle path which celebrates culture and doesn’t cause harm to the animals involved?

It’s possible, but not practical. The Supreme Court did try regulation for four long years, but that didn’t help.

Firstly, the crowd is huge, you really can’t control so many people. Then there’s the fact that the people have come there to enjoy and handle bulls for themselves after the bull exits the arena. Doing what they do with the bull is purely a source of entertainment and you can’t just change their minds.

One way is to hold the event in a stadium-like space and to keep non-participants only in the spectator’s gallery. The sport can become more organised that way but people wouldn’t enjoy that because what they look for in Jallikattu, they won’t find that in stadiums where things are organised.

Recent protests in Tamil Nadu have seen a considerable number of people from all walks of life, and not just those directly involved with bull-taming, coming forward to support it. What do you think is the reason for this?

An important thing to take note of is that very few injuries actually happen within the bull-taming arenas. It’s largely the people who aren’t officially participating who get hurt; the people who were killed or injured this year were mostly young and were the sole breadwinners for their families. They had gone there as spectators. 

This is certainly not the first time that such traditions have been banned by law or by people themselves. The protests in favour of Jallikattu are largely from those who don’t know about animal husbandry, it’s largely people venting out their frustration. Ninety-eight per cent of those protesting have never actually seen Jallikattu in progress, especially what happens before and after. Ninety-nine per cent of them have not read the Supreme Court’s rationale for banning the sport (in 2014), and they are talking like experts using culture and tradition as justifications.