There is excitement in the air - and immense jostling among the crowd standing on either side of a narrow passage. A bull is egged on towards the passage, and the restricting rope through its nostrils is released. It rushes headlong into a swarm of waiting youngsters, who vie to hold on to it in a show of masculine strength. In Tamil Nadu, the pastime of jallikattu is well loved. But, citing cruelty to animals, the Supreme Court banned the sport last week.
The 4,000-year run of the popular rustic sport has come to an abrupt end, making those opposed to the cruelties heaped on bulls ecstatic, while dismaying traditionalists.
Villagers says jallikattu is just a harmless sport in which an unarmed sportsman tries to hold on to the raging bull for 10 seconds or till the animal crosses the finish line about 50 feet away. If the sportsman does not get thrown off, he is declared the winner. If no one can grab the bull, the bovine becomes the winner.
The word 'jallikattu' is believed to derive from two words: jalli, or salli, meaning a coin, and kattu, which means to tie. It was a custom earlier to tie small packets of coins on the bull's horns for the contestant to wrest. In bygone days, the winners would earn the respect of the whole village and were often picked as bridegrooms by the women at the event. At present, the winners have to be content with low-value prizes like a bag, chair or a cycle. At Sorikkampatti, 30 km from Madurai, people give any bull that dies during a jallikattu event a royal funeral, while in many other places, villagers have erected statues in honour of especially strong bulls.
The rustic race, always controversial, has nevertheless become an intrinsic part of Tamil culture across all religious and caste barriers. The game has found mention in the ancient Sangam literature as Yeru Thazhuvuthal ("embracing of bulls"), and is usually held from January to May as a part of Pongal and other temple or church festivals. It also plays an important role in rural economy, say its proponents. The church too saw it as a healthy activity and around 30 per cent of the jallikattu events held in 2013 were organised by Christian bodies.
The ban has split the people of the state. On the one hand are those who not only talk about the dangers the sport poses to the contestants, but also to the bulls. The Animal Welfare Board of India reportedly listed 53 deaths and over 4,000 people injured by the bovines between 2006 and 2014. Animal welfare activists also allege that the bulls are subject to cruel practices like having their ears cut, being beaten and poked with knives and sticks, their tails twisted and often fractured, and having chilli powder and chemicals rubbed into their eyes and noses.
But jallikkattu lovers, who have formed associations like the Jallikattu Veera Vilayattu Pathukappu Nala Sangam to promote the sport, say that in recent years care was being taken to ensure that the bulls did not suffer and fatal accidents were minimised.
They have now urged the state government to seek a review of the Supreme Court's verdict. Their call has been taken up by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, whose chief, M Karunanidhi, recently asked the state government to get the court to allow continuation of the sport given its sentimental attraction for the state's people.
Citing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Supreme Court banned the racing on May 7. It had proscribed jallikattu in 2008 too, but had revoked the ban within days. In 2010, the court had permitted jallikattu events under the strict purview of the law. After the central government removed bulls from the list of performing animals in April this year, all hurdles in banning the sport were removed, and the Supreme Court went ahead and put an end to the controversial sport.
