On Jallikattu

This unique Tamil tradition and above all the legend of the “murattu kaalai” (rough bull) must live on.

Happy Pongal Everyone.

I was much distressed over the ban on Jallikattu imposed by the Supreme Court. Now, there is some relief – the honble court has allowed it on a review petition. So, the good times continue to roll.

Reality Check’s view on this is that not only must the sport not be banned, it must be encouraged actively. There are several misconceptions in the media about the sport. NDTV calls is a Tamil bloodsport.

First, a quick intro about the sport.

(From my knowledge , others can tweak it in the comments section)
Jallikattu is a bull control sport, not a bull taming sport. The spanish bullfights seem like an bollywood romantic dance in comparison. The bulls are larger, more powerful, the horns are sharpened, they are also worked up. The fighters are completely unarmed. Unlike the spanish bullfights, the bulls are not softened by damaging their bodies before the fight. It is more like a freestyle rodeo event than a bull-vs-man death match. Best of all, unlike the spanish bullfights – the bull is the hero here. He lives to see another day.

Imagine this scene

It is pongal time in a south Tamilnadu small town. Some colourful but restless bulls are held down by their owners in a holding area. They are all decked up after a special bath and prayers at the temple. This is the day these bulls have been waiting for all year. Most are naturally aggressive bulls that require just a few drum beats to get worked up. There is a dias where some gifts are kept for the winners (cookers, cycles, buckets, cash, watches). A few VIPs are on the dias watching the proceedings. Crowds mill around the opening of the bull pen (or a large hole in the temple wall). They leave some room for the bulls to run towards the open field on the other side. One by one, the owners let go of the bulls – these bulls then go on a wild rampage in the general direction of the open field. The youth then hold on to the bulls shoulder muscle or horns. If you hold on long enough, you are a winner.  The rules are really not very clear about the amount of time or the distance you must hold on to win. The bulls run into the field and eventually calm down. The next bull makes its way from the pen… and so on.

Top four reasons why Jallikattu must be encouraged.

1. Jallikattu is not only an ancient Tamil sport, it also has hindu religious significance.

There is strong sentiment amoung the people that a year without Jallikattu will bring famine, cholera, and other disease to that area. Now, this might get the super-scientific atheist types worked up, still this religious folk sentiment has to be respected. This is similar to the Ram Sethu issue, where you balance economic benefits against religious sentiment. In this case, you balance animal rights concerns against religious sentiment. In both cases the secular state must tread carefully. I am disappointed the BJP has not taken a strong stand on this issue, could be presumably due to their lack of familiarity.

2. It is cruelty to .. humans.

The bull is almost never hurt, leave alone killed. The issues raised by the Blue Cross can be addressed by regulation. The cruelty to humans part is moot, because it is a voluntary sport like boxing and car racing. Can facing Shaun Tait at Perth be construed to be cruelty to humans ?

3. The murattu kaalai (angry bull) is important for livestock.

If cattle could talk, almost all of them would say, “I want to be a jallikattu bull instead of hauling load all over town as a bullock”. The amount of care the owners give to these bulls need to be seen. These bulls do almost no work, they get fed the best food and typically loiter all over the village. Almost everyone leaves them alone, because they know this is a bad un with a foul temper. As they acquire reputation every Pongal, they become highly sought after for stud services. This process is iterated over the years and thereby enhances the genetics of the livestock. The bulls in turn have to prove themselves at precisely this event, only once a year, every Pongal. 

In other words, if you are a bull – this is as good as it gets !! 

Not every bull can be a good jallikattu bull. Even as calves, some bulls acquire a reputation for being uncontrollable. They like to be left alone and sometimes attack without provocation. These calves can then be picked up and trained to be a jallikattu bull (translation : no hard work). Due to the nature of these bulls, it takes very little to anger them. There is no need for chilli powder. The challenge is to keep them calm. The problem happens only when unprofessional owners try to work up ordinary bulls. Due to the calm nature of ordinary cattle, they need more than crowds, noise, and drum beats. Enter chilli powder, punches to genitals, etc. You can already see a case for regulation here. Only registered owners must be allowed. There is also a case for registering individual bulls with the government officials after vetenary doctors examine them (maybe they can be branded by the vets).

4. A unique martial sport with great economic potential

We dont have many of these valour sports in India. A well organized and regulated event will draw thousands of foreign tourists to southern Tamilnadu in the pleasant month of January. The prizes to the winning youth will increase from pots and pans to cash, bikes, and even cars. The winning bulls can also make the bull owners rich and feed into a positive economic cycle enhancing the entire livestock.  You can even have top corporates tying up with bull owners and opening up more job opportunities. Why would we Indians want to let go of a treasure like this ?

Some practical ideas :

1. The TN state government must form a TN Jallikattu Regulatory board under the sports ministry.

2. Top bull owners and temple authorities must be called and be made to agree on a formal set of rules. Each temple can have minor differences in rules according to their tradition.

3. The bull owners must be registered with the above board before participating in the event.

4. The bulls themselves must be registered and government vets must examine them (brand or permanent mark with seal if necessary)

6. The spectators must be kept away from the bulls using two layers of barricades.

7. The government can even think about constructing special arenas near willing temples with facility for TV / photo crews/ foreign tourists/ PA system etc.  Think about announcing past win record of bulls, to make the event more enjoyable.

8. The TN sports minister must take ultimate responsibility for conduct of this event.

9. Involve the blue cross, who are also doing a great job. Allay their concerns and take action when they present video evidence of animal abuse.

 10. Ban more than one (these days it seems one guy cant control it, so maybe two max) to have a go at each bull at any one time. You cant have ten guys pulling at the bull. Even kids can do it, it is not bravery.