Kakinada: Even though Sankranti is fast approaching, not much demand has been witnessed for fighting roosters in the weekly shandies spread over the two Godavari districts. Crores of betting money had once been involved in the traditional cockfights, which are always in news during Sankranti.
Breeders would be singing praises of the roosters they grow and train for the fight. Special diet is still being provided to prized birds to make them strong and fetch a huge price, which would range in tens of thousands. Village headmen fielding their roosters against the birds of neighbouring village heads was once a prestigious issue throughout India and, nearer home, in East and West Godavari districts. Not so anymore, much to the disappointment of traditional breeders!
Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has made it clear that gambling in the name of prized cockfights will not be allowed. Police have been issued strict instructions in this regard. Law and order authorities, on their part, have already issued instructions against organising cockfights in villages, where they had once been a tradition.
The CM could have a point as drunken revelry in anticipation of two roosters fighting one another to death was once a common feature during Sankranthi. Betting over the winning rooster too was heavy. For gamblers, it was another occasion to bet and dream of making big money.
A visit of weekly shandies by Deccan Chronicle failed in finding any prized roosters on sale. Breeders are even afraid of selling them in case they land in trouble with police. Once, many breeders proudly brought roosters they had grown just for the occasion to weekly markets in villages and towns. But they are all missing this year.
It is not that roosters are grown only for their participation in cockfights. It has also been a tradition to sell them for the table. Eating or serving their meat too has been a tradition and many households do serve rooster meat for Sankranti. But there is no bustle around their sale. Sale of roosters for meat also has become a low-key affair.
Sources told Deccan Chronicle that a community known to breed fighting roosters has remained active. Community members in Bhimavaram and prominent places of West Godavari have even given vaccines and fed special diet to make roosters huge and attractive, so that they fetch a handsome price. Smaller farmers in both the Godavari districts too are raising roosters. But, according to them, sales have been dim, as organisers and rural area people are not coming forward to buy them.
