Delhi Diary: Tamil Nadu's Bull Run Is Back

By M.Santhiran M.Santhiran, Bernama's correspondent in New Delhi shares his take on India. NEW DELHI, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- India boasts for a myriad of celebrations and this Friday (Jan 15) the southern state of Tamil Nadu will be celebrating the colourful 'Ponggal', the harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community. For the Tamils, Ponggal is celebrated in a grand scale and it is the second most celebrated event by the Tamils and their Diaspora after the Deepavali (Festival of Lights). It is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month of 'Thai', that falls sometime in the mid of January in the Gregorian calendar. Ponggal is celebrated grandly here because there are vast rice growing regions within Tamil Nadu. This year the Tamils have more the reason to celebrate, especially for the fact the ban on "Jallikattu" has been lifted. Jallikatu considered part of the Ponggal itinerary is the Indian version of the bull run, where the youngsters run after the bulls let loose from their pens in an attempt to tame them. It is just a demonstration sport. The Jallikattu was officially banned in 2014 after an animal well-being advocate group, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), succeeded in its petition to ban the sport that it considered cruel to the bulls. The Supreme Court had ordered that the bulls cannot be used either for Jallikathu events or bullock-cart races, which were popular in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Punjab during festivals. However, the southerners strongly objected to the decision and pointed out the animal activists group failed to understand the culture and heritage of the Tamilians and the fact it was an ancient sport. People especially in rural areas celebrated the decision to allow the bull run after it was announced on Jan 8 by the central government. ARGUMENTS FAVOURING JALLIKATTU Indian news channels went to the streets of Tamil Nadu especially in the city of Madurai that is well known for the sport. Locals who spoke to NDTV and SUN TV news channels were unanimous that it had been a "dull Ponggal" for them since the Supreme Court decided to ban the sport. They viewed that activists of PETA and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) were influenced by Western values and they failed to get their facts right and did not understand the sensitivities of the local cultures. Several village heads said the event held on the second day of Ponggal, known as "Mattu Ponggal", attracted thousands of people across the state creating an atmosphere of merriment. BULL RUN A SERIOUS BUSINESS I called several people organising the bull runs in the south who pointed out bull run is a serious business. They explained that the bull is normally trained from young as early as three to four years old and were fed with special food and grass. In a telephone interview with Bernama, a breeder for the bull run said about 100 to 200 Rupees (US$1 to US$3) were spent per day to prepare the bulls. These bulls are exempted from farm work and trained further in the months before "Jallikathu". He said a bull with potential could fetch 100,000 to 150,000 rupees (US$1,500 to US$2,500) from those serious in the bull run sports. Several bull owners even offer price money or gold chains to encourage youngsters to tame the bulls, beside providing them with platform to show their courage. In the olden days the winners also won the hands of the damsels. A local BJP leader in Chennai, L.Ganesan told Times of India that Jallikattu symbolizes a youngster achieving manhood and without the traditional sport the Ponggal festival would be incomplete. ARGUMENTS AGAINST JALLIKATTU However, activists of PETA and AWBI pointed out that between 2010 and 2014, there were approximately 1,100 people injured and 17 killed during Jallikattu. They claimed that during the event terrified bulls were often deliberately disoriented through substances like alcohol. They also alleged that the bulls' tails were twisted and bitten; were stabbed and jabbed using sickles, spears, knives or sticks. PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura slammed the government's "U-turn" on Jallikattu as reckless, heartless, and weak. "We vow to take our fight to protect bulls from cruelty back to the Supreme Court,” Joshipura told NDTV news channel. With the issue likely to revert back to the Supreme Court soon, some media and observers in Tamil Nadu proposed that the government comes up with a win-win formula to preserve the sport and at the same time put an end to the cruelty against the animal. Among the proposal was that the state government forms a special body to regulate the sport by declaring Jallikattu as national sport. They urged all stakeholders to actively participate in the body to identify the do's and don’ts without neglecting the uniqueness and the history of the ancient sport. As for me, I will be celebrating Ponggal alone this year in New Delhi and will certainly keep an eye on Jallikattu. -- BERNAMA