Madurai: The people of Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram are preparing to hold jallikattu event in the most traditional of venues.
Even as thousands of people continued their protest in Alanganallur town for the fifth day on Friday, pressing for a permanent solution for jallikattu, the villagers said that the bulls, bull tamers and other paraphernalia for the conduct of the event were ready.
“We are waiting for the State Government to promulgate an ordinance,” said V Sundararagavan, secretary of Alanganallur Jallikattu Vizha (Festival) Committee to Deccan Chronicle.
The three villages put together have nearly 350 bulls and an equal number of bulls from surrounding villages are being kept ready for the sport. Hundreds of tamers were eagerly waiting to lay their hands on the humps of the bulls.
The district collector Veera Raghava Rao who inspected the Vadivasal at Alanganallur and Palamedu told reporters that the district administration was also prepared to conduct the event. The Vadivasal at both the places are still being guarded by police forces and people's movement has been restricted in the area.
The youth and women protesting in Alanganallur and Palamedu, who are openly sceptical about what Chief Minister O Panneerselvam is saying on the subject, stated what they want is a permanent solution so that jallikattu would be celebrated every Pongal without hindrance.
Echoing the same, Sundararagavan and P Karthik Raj, who is the secretary of Palamedu village committee said, “Though we welcome the steps taken by the State Government to conduct the sport, we are doubtful whether passing an ordinance is sufficient to conduct the event permanently,”
Mallatha, a famous bull-tamer from Alanganallur, argues that despite their successful conduct of the bull-taming sport while following the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, the event was banned in the last three years.
“Even if the state government passes the ordinance in favour of us, will not the court ban it again,” he asked.
The state government's moves have, however, brought enthusiasm to many villagers after the bitter experience they faced in the recent past. Some have begun doubting whether it was a calculated move by the government to dilute the student's movement which has been fighting tooth and nail to save the Tamil culture.
“The students are protesting in our village for the last five days in support of the ancient sport. If the government plays a trick on them it will be difficult to put a united fight again,” said the people.
P.R. Rajasekaran, president of Jallikattu Pervaai, Madurai who has been fighting legal battle on this issue in the apex court, said, “We hope the ordinance would bring an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the state government would also pass a law in this regard in the Assembly.” He also expressed hope that the state and Central governments would remove the bull rom the list of performing animals for the conduct of the event permanently. The villagers also said categorically that they would not allow PETA representatives inside the village during the conduct of jallikattu.
Writer Lakshmi Saravanakumar returns his award
Chennai: Condemning the lack of ‘positive’ action from the Centre on the jallikattu issue, writer Lakshmi Saravanakumar, who won the Yuva Puraskar award last year for his novel on tiger hunting, Kaanakan, returned it at the Sahitya Akademi office here.
“Yes. I have returned the award. I told Sahitya Akademi that my protest was not against them but the Centre,” he told reporters after returning the award in the Akademi's office in Teynampet. In a Facebook page on Thursday, the author had said Tamil society had been 'betrayed' for long by Centre on many issues and that the ongoing pro-jallikattu protest was a reflection of the ‘oppression’ faced by it for many years. He had also said that if there was no 'positive action' on part of the government by last night on jallikattu, he would return the award today.
