‘Tongan’ exemplifies spirit of the sport

Madurai: Tongan is a legend, enjoying a huge following. Whenever he is spotted in his bull taming attire of red T-shirt and red shorts, he draws the village youth like a Pied Piper. For, the understanding is that if the 66-year-old Karuppaiah of Keezhaiyur village near Madurai steps out in his trademark red, he is out to tame a bull.

In fact, he is the greatest source of inspiration for the local youth. “Tongan is a title given by the villagers in appreciation of my valour and talent in bull taming,” he says laughing. He first participated in Manjuviruthu (chasing bulls) at Amaiyur Mukkampatti near Melur on January 1965 and has tamed more than 600 bulls since.

“It was a divine call that brought me into this,” recounts Tongan, who heard a woman’s voice calling out ‘Arasae’ (oh, king) when he was grazing a herd of sheep in the grassland one afternoon. Perplexed, he looked back but couldn’t find anybody around. He then saw the Sevukaperumal temple bull amidst his flock, which too vanished within a few minutes.

Tongan again heard the voice, which urged him not to eat in the plates used by others and maintain purity. When Tongan heard the same words from his aunt when he returned home, he interpreted it is as a call from his family deity to participate in bull taming sports.

“When I decided to participate in Manjuviruthu, organised at Amaiyur Mukkampatti village, I didn’t inform my parents. I secretly sold three sheep for Rs 21 and 12 units of paddy for Rs 3 and left with the money for the venue. I walked nearly 20 kilometers to reach the place,” he recounted.

He entered the arena for Manjuviruthu and joined his elder brothers in taming the bulls. “They didn’t scold me; instead they encouraged me to tame the bulls. In the first event I assisted my brothers to tame three bulls,” said Tongan. Tongan’s brother team received a prize of Rs 1.25 and four cotton dhotis. The elders in the team took away Rs 1 and gave 25 paisa and the dhotis to Togan. “My brothers asked me to offer the 25 paisa to the family deity,” he said.

Since then there has been no turning back for Tongan, who went on taming the fierce bulls, which gave tough fight for bullfighters, in Manjuvirattu, Eruthu kattuthal (lassoing bulls), Jallikattu (Bull taming) organised in various places across the state. “It is not for money, we risk our lives for veeram (braveness) and the fame,” he said. “It is Tamil culture which symbolises valour. It needs to be preserved for posterity,” he signs off.