The Indian state of Tamilnadu is in ferment after the Supreme Court stayed the government ordinance allowing the festival Jallikattu to continue. This stay was on a petition filed by PETA and other animal rights crusaders. The decision of the Supreme Court has angered the masses who see it as an affront to their culture. Massive crowds have collected all over Tamilnadu against the ban by the Supreme Court. The Chief Minister has met the prime minister but Modi has expressed his helplessness as the matter is before the highest court. Despite the ban, many organizations are conducting the festival of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, and the police are not interfering.
Bull taming festival
The festival of Jallikattu is as old as history, and it is mentioned in the ancient Tamil texts. It is a festival where wild bulls are bred, and on Pongal (Tamil New Year) young men wrestle with the bull and ride him. The idea is to tame the bull. It has some resemblance to bull fighting in Spain, but here no sword is used and the bull is tamed with bare hands. The bull is also not killed but after the festival is used as a stud to breed with cows. There have been many accidents, and many participants have lost their lives as they were gored by the bull like in bullfights
Jallikattu
This festival is celebrated for over 2000 years, and nobody had ever interfered with it. But last year some animal rights activists approached the court to point out that many bulls were given a terrible treatment and harassed.
They were also allowed to stand in the sun for hours, and this amounted to cruelty. In India, there is a Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act passed by Parliament and the SC taking cognization of this Act had banned the sport. Earlier the SC had also banned bullfighting in Goa which had been a Portuguese heritage. They had ruled Goa for 500 years.
Future
The central government had sidestepped the SC ruling with an ordinance, but now the SC has granted a stay. This has angered the people of Tamil Nadu and Tamils has felt it is an affront to their culture. There are massive ongoing protests, but thankfully they are so far peaceful. The government is waiting for the storm to subside and has put the matter on the back burner till the SC reviews its order. However, it is unlikely to allow this festival as desired by the Tamils.
