There is jubilation in rural Tamil Nadu over the ban on jallikattu (gold and silver coins fixed on bull’s horns) being circumvented by government action in creating a limited exemption for bulls from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act so that they may participate as trained animals in events like the jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat.
Given the historicity of jallikattu in Tamil Nadu (it dates back 1,500 years), the issue was more emotional than political. The event has been traditionally run during the harvest (Pongal) festival, which is why there was a sense of urgency to the demands for the sport to be allowed now. A BJP minister from the state made common cause with his fellow Tamils and Jayalalithaa beseeched the Prime Minister not to allow such a hoary tradition to be broken by judicial action. Animal welfare activists, who frown upon any activity involving beasts performing for the entertainment of people, are very displeased and will approach the top court again. However, they must consider that unlike in Spanish bullfights and bull runs, the bull is not slain in jallikattu or in rekhla races. On the contrary, they are fed and nurtured even more after each outing.
Fatalities are known to occur, occasionally among bull tamers gored by raging bulls and more frequently due to lax spectator control. This is where Supreme Court rulings on proper security measures and in-arena medical emergency care have proved useful. Here is an opportunity for people to prove they can celebrate traditional sports without cruelty to animals and with restraint.
