 |
Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu. aimg-a.akamaihd.net
|
Mattu Pongal, a part of an important Hindu festival Pongal is celebrated on the third day in the month of
Thai (15 January) after the end of the monsoon season. Mattu Pongal ('
Mattu' in Tamil means "bull or cow",
Pongal means " sweetened boiled rice" in a metaphoric sense implies prosperity and also positivity.- we need both to move forwad in this competitive world,
On the day of Mattu Pongal, both cows and bulls are worshiped by the Hindus; the former give milk and milk related products such as cheese, butter, etc without which humans, in particular, young children can not grow, whereas the latter play equally a vital role in the area of agriculture by plowing in the paddy fields to prepare the land for cultivation seeding etc., carrying the produce, hay etc., to the market. As a matter of fact, they do a variety of job in the rural areas. In the hinter lands they are of immense help to the farmers to take care of their various needs. In the areas where groundnuts, etc are grown, bulls are being used to run pull the ''mara chekku'' (wooden oil press), a feature I used to see on my father's farm inThanjavur district (my native place) in the early 1950s. In the past two decades, farmers have come to depend on a variety of agricultural machinery and only small farmers still depend on bulls for agriculture works. Electric oil press had already replaced the mara chekku long ago.
 |
| Srilanka postal stamp, Pongal. .srilankastamps.lk |
Pongal is an important community celebration in the villages, in particular, of Tamil Nadu State. It marks the sharing of food prepared from the freshly harvested grains, among the rich and poor and also with animals and birds associated with men. This is done in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship among the communities.
 |
Controversial Jallykattu, TN. /pbs.twimg.com
|
Jallikattu or 'Manji Virattu. is an exciting village based sport in Tamil Nadu. This sport is held generally on the evening of the Mattu Pongal and is about chasing big well-grown bulls by village youths. The aim is to subdue or tame the wildly galloping bulls in stressful surroundings to retrieve the money - a good amount that is tied to the sharp horns of the bulls. Jallikattu, an ancient sport of Tamil Nadu, is recorded in rock paintings of 'bull chasing sport' discovered on massive rock surfaces at Karikkiyur in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. They are dated between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. So, it is part of Tamil Nadu's culture strongly linked to Hinduism.
In the era of Nayak rulers ( valiant Nayaks were originally military governors under the Vijayanagara Empire; when the empire was defeated by the Deccan sultans in the battle of Talikota - 23 January 1565 several of them in Tamil Nadu declared themselves independent rulers -rajahs) of Thanjavur and Madurai, it was a harmless sport but, now, it has become a poorly organized and dangerous sport. Since the youths engaged in the sports have neither basic training and skill to deal with charging bulls. nor have necessary protection gear against the dangerous bulls. The causality factor is of major concern to the parents and to the government. The trained bulls that run in a frenzy never get hurt, but, on the other hand, youths, hanging on to the horns of the bulls to get the prize money are either thrown away badly or hurt seriously or killed by goring.
 |
| Various Indian breeds of bulls. quora.com/ |
 |
| various kinds of bull fighting. quora.com |
 |
| Safety measures. thehindu.com/ |
The Supreme Court of India banned Jallicattu invoking PCA Act ( saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including in bullock cart races; sections 3, 11, and 22). This ban on a traditional sport, part of a particular culture caused widespread protest by the Tamil-speaking people in Tamil Nadu, across India and in many countries. The entire state protested peacefully more or less in a dharmic. The ban was effected temporarily because animal protection organizations made serious protests for many reasons, one being increasing injuries to the participating youths as reported in the media. In the aftermath, this village sport, common in South Tamil Nadu, has become a contentious issue.
The crux of the matter is, it is part of the Pongal festival and has been in practice for centuries. This Param Paraiya sport is pushed to the lowly state because of laxity on the part of organizers who fail to tow certain norms to prevent injury to the participants. However, the court can lift the ban by fixing the age limit for the participants and making it compulsory to follow safety precaution against the dangerous bulls. Further, both the participants and animals need to be tested for drug/liquor abuse, based on which they will be allowed to participate in the sport. Based on an old post:
.jpg)
