Jallikattu - A Blood-Soaked Chapter In Indian Traditional Sports, Wasn't Always That Way
What started out as a test for the bulls became a sport to show off man's strength
The Central Government has not been able to help the Tamil Nadu government's request to take back the Supreme Court's ban on Jallikattu, the traditional bull sport of the state. The sport, which leaves several bulls and humans injured or dead every year, is celebrated on the occasion of Pongal celebrations in the state.
BCCL
The origin of Jallikattu was not about encouraging a bloody sport but to identify bulls that were not tame that could be isolated as "temple bulls" called "koil kaalai" and used for breeding a better quality animal.
The farm exercise of sorting the better breed of bulls which has its origins in the Harappan era was turned into a sport to show off a man's strength and agility and in turn, became a right of passage for the village men to showcase their strength.
Over the years, man and bull have been pitted against each other in a meaningless display in the name of 'sport'.
While the men carry the injuries sustained during Jallikattu as badges of honour, the bulls that are tamed are sold off to tend to farms and for other domestic activities. The winning bulls of the sport are set aside and sold for much higher prices to rear strong bulls.
As the simple farming tradition was turning into a sport, the rearers took to getting the bulls selected for the sports drunk on local toddy. The local youth got their share of excitement from trying to tame drunken bulls, often dying during the attempt.
A single blow from a crazed, drunken bull can prove fatal. And the only way to survive is to kill the bull.
BCCL
It is believed that the family that raises the bull from calf, considers the animal sacred. In recent times, the practice of intoxicating the bull was stopped and the youth attempting to restrain the bull were also prohibited from drinking.
The animal welfare agency, PETA, has been highlighting the practice of Jallikattu and raising its voice against it for years. The movement had also seen approval from residents within the state who wanted the meaningless bloodshed of the bulls to end.
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The first judgement on the Jallikattu was only taken in November 2010 when the Supreme Court ruled that Jallikattu should only be conducted for five months in the year, and not all through the year - as it had come to be.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification in 2011 that banned the use of bulls as performing animals, thereby banning the event but the Tamil Nadu government found a way around it and the sport continued.
BCCL
Jallikattu was first banned in May 2014 by a Supreme Court ruling which struck down the Tamil Nadu state law which had allowed the sport to continue. However, in January 2016, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a new notification allowing some variants of the sport to continue.
Keepers of the Jallikattu tradition requested that the sport is allowed under strict regulations and not stop the tradition completely. However, the Supreme Court has refused to allow it and has suggested that people play computer games instead of killing bulls.
