After BJP's assurance, Jalikattu preparations on in Tamil Nadu

After the BJP government at the Centre gave some sort of assurance to remove the ban on Jalikattu, (taming the bull), preparations are on for conducting the traditional sport in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

As the news spread after there was an assurance from the state BJP unit that Union Environment Minister Pakash Javadekar is expected to clear the ban on Jallikattu, people especially youths from Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram, erupted in joy and immediately engaged themselves to conduct the sport including submitting applications forms to the organisers.

Some desperate villagers also started training their bulls expressing hope that the sport will take place this year despite the ban since last year. “When I spoke to Mr Prakash Javedkar, he assured me that formalities will be cleared for the conduct of Jallikattu within a next few days,” BJP Tamil Nadu’s chief Tamilisai Soundarajan said.

The annual event of Jallikattu is held from January to July, played first in Palamedu, near Madurai on January 15, followed by Alanganallur event on January 16. A specific breed of cattle is used for the purpose. The jallikattu bulls are not used in agricultural operations.

They are mostly kept as a family tradition or as a status symbol by their owners.  The Supreme Court had last year banned Jallikattu, bull races, bull-fights and other uses of bulls in performances.

Jallikattu Peravai Rajasekaran said this year attractive prizes for those taming bulls include laptops, gold ornaments, silver vessels, washing machines and even wall mounting television. “If the ban is removed this year, more than 700 bulls will participate in the event,” he added. As the pressure is mounting for removing the ban on Jallikattu in the state, the Tamil Nadu government had recently urged the Centre to promulgate ordinance enabling the conduct of the traditional sport.
DH News Service