CHENNAI: People, especially students, stepped out of their homes in hordes to march on the streets in several cities and towns of Tamil Nadu on Friday demanding that jallikattu be allowed this year during Pongal festivities. Scores of villagers also defied the Supreme Court ban by holding bull taming sessions in open fields, although only on a small scale.
From a human chain on the Marina Beach to a motorcycle rally in Erode to a march by students in Vellore and a protest march in Dindigul – protests, demos and rallies rocked the state on Friday, just two days ahead of Maatu Pongal (Sunday) when jallikattu is usually scheduled.
The protesters were not just demanding the conduct of jallikattu but also wanted a ban on PETA that has been vociferously opposing jallikattu and is the main petitioner in the case in Supreme Court.
Jallikattu has deep roots in Tamil literature, say scholars
Jallikattu or eru thazhuval (embracing the bull), the bull taming sport, has become a rallying point of Tamil Identity with students and youngsters raising in protest against the Supreme Court's ban.
Scholars say that jallikattu has a history of over 2,500 years and it is deep rooted in Tamil culture. The first reference of the bull taming sport finds mention in Kalithogai, an ancient work of Tamil literature belonging to Sangam period.
The poems talk about young women falling in love with those who successfully tame the bulls.
"The references of jallikattu were found in several works of classical literature starting from Kalithogai," says Su Venkatesan, whose Sahitya Akademi award winning novel Kaaval Kottam has detailed reference about bullfighters and bull owners. Jallikattu not only found mention in literature but also in several others forms like temple or memorial stones and also in folk songs, he told DC.
He noted that Alagathevan Kadai Palal, a folk song, talks entirely about the bullfighter. It reveals bull taming sport's deep-rooted history. "The main intension of embracing the bull sport was to identify a brave man," he said.
"But in the historic agrarian society, the jallikattu was held in the belief that spilling of the a brave man's blood would ensure a good crop. Such practices still prevalent among the tribes," Venkatesan said.
The surprising aspect in the ongoing pro-jalliakattu protest was its statewide appeal even in places where it was not practiced. Jallikattu found state-wide appeal as it turned into an emotional issue, says Madurai based Dalit scholar Stalin Rajangam.
