Hyderabad Jan 4 :Jallikattu organisers demand the Tamil Nadu government to give permission to hold the traditional sport.
Jallikattu organisers demand the Tamil Nadu government to give permission to hold the traditional sport.
Even as the latest variant of Coronvirus spreading with impunity, enthusiasts of Jallikattu, (the traditional bull taming sport of the state) which is usually organised on January 14 (Pongal festival) are preparing to stage the event, pandemic or no pandemic.
Bull owners and jallikattu enthusiasts want to hold this event at any cost. They have staged a road roko by blocking the Chengapalli-Walayar National Highway (NH) at Chettipalayam in Coimbatore demanding that the Jallikattu event scheduled in Coimbatore on January 9, be allowed to go on unhindered.
The protest took place after the registration for Jallikattu did not commence as the event organising committee said there had been no proper confirmation of the event due to the State government’s COVID-19 restrictions till January 10. Following the stir, vehicle movement on the NH was affected for half an hour.
A member of the organising committee, Ganesan, told , “We could not start with the registrations as we do not know whether the event would be held on the date due to the restrictions. All the arrangements have been made. But there is no confirmation received from the district administration. We are clueless about the event.”
The Jallikattu Organisers from Tamil Nadu’s southern region where the bull-taming sport is popular – Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts also known as the Jallikattu belt – have urged the State government to ensure that the traditional event is held as usual.
“We are ready to follow whatever the rules/guidelines issued by the government for conducting the event in view of Corona threat, but we want this sport to happen because this has been century old traditional and it’s our pride,” K Prabhu, Secretary of Palamedu Jallikattu organising committee.
“Even before the government laid down regulations to conduct Jallikattu this time, we had already instructed and will ensure all bull tamers and bull owners should be fully vaccinated. Wearing masks and other COVID protocols will be strictly followed at the venues,” Prabhu said.
Pon Kumar, a Jallikattu enthusiast from Alanganllur village in Madurai where Jallikattu has had a history of more than two thousand years, hoped that the state government would pass an order ensuring that the event takes place this year.
“I am sure that the Jallikattu event this time around will be a grand affair, since the DMK is in power. Our honourable Chief Minister himself had staged a rail roko during the Jallikattu protest in 2017. This government has been known to cherish and uphold Tamil culture, and will allow the tradition to be continued this year too.”
With the Jallikattu season fast approaching, bull owners have started providing training for the bulls in southern districts including Madurai, where Jallikattu events are conducted with great fanfare. Although uncertainty prevails over the conduct of the event in the upcoming Pongal season due to the spread of Omicron variant, it has not hindered farmers from preparing their bulls. The bull tamers too are honing their skills, by training with the bulls.
“The Jallikattu Act 2017 was enacted with an aim to promote the tradition of Tamil culture and to preserve the native germplasm. It’s our tradition and pride. We have been following all the COVID protocols. When theatres and tasmac are allowed to remain open, why not Jallikattu?” asks N Karthik Raja, a bull owner from Chinnalapatti in Dindigul district.
According to the organisers, some 300 bulls are ready to enter the arena this time in three of the major Jallikattu venues – Alanganallur, Palmedu and Avaniyapuram. The organisers claimed that all necessary arrangements to ensure the safety of bulls and tamers would be made.