Low Income, High Costs Push Sankranti Bulls To The Brink

Nalgonda: Traditional art forms like Gangireddulu and Haridasulu, which once added colour and vibrancy to Sankranti celebrations, are now becoming rare in rural areas, with only a few practitioners continuing these age-old traditions.

A Gangireddu, a colourfully decorated bull, and a Haridasu, a traditional minstrel, traditionally move from house to house during the festival season, creating a festive atmosphere in villages. However, these art forms are now seen only occasionally, even during Sankranti, as very few members of the Pooja Golla and Dasari communities continue their caste-based professions. Practitioners say the income earned is insufficient to meet basic living expenses.

In Mamillagudem village of Nalgonda district, about 30 families belonging to the Pooja Golla community reside. A decade ago, more than 30 trained Gangireddulu were used by these families to earn a livelihood. Today, only five trained bulls are being used by a handful of families to continue the tradition.

Gangireddulu player Avudoddi Kasaiah said trained bulls are purchased from Guntur district at a cost of around ₹70,000 each. If the bulls forget their trained routines, they are either sold in cattle markets for about ₹30,000 or sent for retraining at an additional cost of ₹15,000. He added that performers often suffer leg injuries while handling the bulls, leading to long-term health problems.

Another practitioner, Uggam Maraiah, said they earn only ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 per day by moving house to house with a Gangireddu during Sankranti. As two people are required to perform with one bull and monthly fodder costs alone amount to nearly ₹20,000 per animal, many families have abandoned the tradition and taken up other occupations.

A. Mallesh, 30, from the community said he shifted to playing traditional shehnai music due to the meagre income from Gangireddulu. However, he still performs with his family-owned bull for three days during Sankranti to ensure the tradition does not completely disappear.