An Emotion called JALLIKATTU!
Jallikattu, the emotion that is trending in the hearts of Tamilians nowadays .To the people who don’t know about Jallikattu or bull taming, let me give you all the information.
Jallikattu is an ancient sport that is said to have been practiced by the Yadava clan from around 100BC. They are held during the Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal. The bull is first worshipped and special rituals are performed. During the event various prizes are announced to attract the youth to participate in taming the wild bulls. After this, the tamed bulls are used for domestic practices. The untamed wild bulls are used for breeding the next generation.
This has been shown in various Tamil movies throughout the years. The sport is considered as a sign of gallantry. This is something that is very dear to the villagers and also the people rearing these bulls. Thousands of people gather to watch this sport.
But this is viewed as a means of torture to the animal. PETA and FIAPO have protested against this since 2004. And the Supreme Court too has issued a ban for Jallikattu.
But this has angered many people across Tamil Nadu especially the youth. There has been lot of talks about Jallikattu in social media and the news channels. Lots of support for Jallikattu has been pouring in from around the globe.
Let me tell you the animals are not tortured by any means. In fact they are reared from a young age with nutritious diet and lots of love. They are worshipped every year and they are taken care of even after the games. The youths participating know the risks involved. There are instances of getting hurt but that’s the part of the game.
Now PETA has shown a lot of interest in the banning of Jallikattu. Too many people are not aware of PETA’s dirty tactics. Do visit petakills.com. There are many allegations have been put up against PETA. One such is that it kills dogs and cats that are taken in its shelter house. The lame excuse they give is that the animals are too weak to carry on.
Today Chennai witnessed a huge rally pro- Jallikattu at Marina. Thousands of youngsters took to the streets to show their support. What started as a meme and posts in facebook and whatsapp has gathered so much momentum. The people gathered so much people that it stretched a kilometer.
mass rally on chennai on 8th january.
Jallikattu is not just a sport, it is a part of the Tamil culture and heritage. We have changed a lot during the centuries, but some things are not meant to give up.
Thousands of cows and pigs are killed to be eaten by people. No one blinks an eye. One gallant sport, once a year, is conducted and everyone is up in arms.
As a Tamilian my blood boils when I see groups like PETA which is itself facing so many allegations opposing Jallikattu. We have embraced a lot of western practices. But we are not people to give up on our age old traditions.
India is a land where animals are worshipped especially cows and bulls. Some random foreign organization lecturing us on animal caretaking is just comical.
The support for Jallikattu will be increasing and I hope that with Pongal around the corner, this year would bring a meaning to all these rallies and emotions of Tamilians.
