Jallikattu and Courage

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Pongal, the Harvest Festival as celebrated in Tamil Nadu in India, is just coming. It also stands for the Tamil New Year. So I offer one and All Felicitations on the occasion.

Part of the Pongal celebration has been ‘Jalli-kattu,’ a Sport with Bulls. It is Very different from Spanish Bull ‘Fights,’ where the Matador uses Swords. None allowed in Jallikattu.

For all that, the Animal Rights Activists have moved Indian courts to have the game banned, and there is much furore in Tamil Nadu over this.

Jallikattu is called the ‘Game of the Brave’ Veera Vilaiyattu. I Question that.

1. Jallikattu:

In the most common forms, Specially raised Bulls are released, and young men chase it, and the one who ‘Rides’ the Hump of the Bull for a specified number of seconds is a Winner. They get prizes, measly ones, in my opinion, usually Rs. 5,000 or less. But the Owners of the Bulls that ‘escape’ without being ridden get a lot of name and fame, and I am of the firm belief that heavy betting is involved among owners.

Here are a few graphics, all from the Internet, and some commentaries from my side.

A clear presentation of the ‘game;’ the man riding the hump is a Winner here.

The other form of Jallikattu, is where a bull is blindfolded and held back by ropes through its nostrils, and fellows try to ride it (?) – am not sure of the facts of this form. But the ‘Way’ the Bull is held back, Is Sheer Cruelty. Alas, A very common form, used to control generally unruly cattle.

But people, Participants, Onlookers and even owners and tamers are Injured too. I have seen this on clips on TV. On the law of averages, people must be getting gored and trampled.

Read more at the link below, though it recounts events in 2013:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/38-persons-injured-at-alanganallur-jallikattu/article4313913.ece

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Over and beyond this, I also hate, (besides the Cruely to the Animals), the way Onlookers and ‘Supposed Participants’ Enjoy when someone is Harmed. Notice the fellows in the back rows, they are not just unconcerned, they are actually Happy.

This Bull, instead of being a Good Boy and Keeping to the enclosed path, has ‘turned.’ I would say that the man in the Rainbow coloured Shorts is hit. Those close, in the middle of the picture look concerned or alarmed. But quite a few of those out of reach of the animal’s horns are Simply Enjoying their Outing.

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2. Courage

There is No Doubt that Courage is required to get into these open arenas.

But, when We find that 90% of the people of Tamil Nadu would prefer Not to Open their mouths, though –

• The Roads are Bad (Don’t think just in terms of highways),
• There are Not enough Buses (You have not seen the Way School Children go to school and come back, Crammed like Animals, and Small Children Jumping onto Running Buses lest they miss them),
• Sand is Mined, – I would say Looted, beyond any Sensible Limits, sponsored by the government itself, which has not only turned the River Beds and the Surroundings Dry, Killed Thousands of Trees and Affected Farming, but is also making Tamil Nadu into a Desert!

School chidren trying to get a seat. The situation is FAR worse than is seen in this picture.

Photographing of the works is Discouraged, at the pain of Your Very Life, hence mostly long range shots. All images from Internet. Seen, the Earth Movers used to fill the lorries, the number of lorries waiting their turn, and finally, the Exposed Foundations of a Bridge.

See also:

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/politics/sandmining-500526.html

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To continue and to Repeat:

When We find that 90% of the people of Tamil Nadu would prefer Not to Open their mouths on any of these issues, What is the Use of this Dummy and Useless, Done-in-a-Hype, Drug Induced ‘courage’ of Jallikattu?

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