Jallikatu is a Tamil word which means 'Bull fight'.This Festival is celebrated on day after Pongal and at someplaces day after that.It's an amazing show of courage and strength by village youth of Tamilnadu, India. you can feel lot of energy and excitement in villagers for this show.Whole village and people from other villages including children and women start coming here ear
ly morning to get there place .Everyone want the best view of the event.
Bull owner brings their bull , all dressed up and painted, and stands in a queue.One by one they send there Bull inside the game area where all youth who are participating will be ready to catch the bull. Aim is to hold the bull from its back for sometime and control it.If someone hold the Bull for specifid time he gets the prize otherwise Bull Owner gets the prize.Small Items like plastic chairs,TV,BiCycle etc are given as price.and sometime even chiken,goat etc.
More then prizes its the cheering crowd which makes these youth risking there life in the event.When I reached there I didn't get a single point from where I could shoot pics. Forget shooting I was not even able to see the event.I was alone and I dis not understand Tamil.Later somehow with the help of two other photographers whom I met at the event only, I managed to get some place on the ground.It was tough to shoot from there but actually got the nice angel which I figured out later.
This was all fun part of the event but its not only Fun.These young people put there life on risk. every year several people give their life in the event. Lot of people and groups are raising voice to ban the event.At the same time villagers support it as their traditional sport.
I am agree with both the sides.Some people see it as a cruelty to Animal as sometime these bull are given Bhang and even nonVeg to charge them,Which is really bad. But at the same time if you keep away all the cruel part done to Bull It a traditional sport of Tamils. Putting ban on ages old tradition and culture is also not right as it is against human right and after all humans who got hurt at the end.
Well it is like argument on Non-Vegetarian food... We should not eat Non-Veg because they are living beings but then Human is a omnivorous species.If someone loves animals and don't want to eat them doesn't mean everyone should stop eating Nonveg...
Whatever will happen to this sport in Future. I loved to be the part of this event this year.The energy and excitement at the place was great.
Also this bike trip of arnd 1000KM broke all my previous record. First 425KM(10 hours) drive in a day while going & 530KM (13 hours) drive in a day while coming back and that too Alone.
for more pics of the trip please visit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/prasoonpics/sets/72157594488009323/
ly morning to get there place .Everyone want the best view of the event.Bull owner brings their bull , all dressed up and painted, and stands in a queue.One by one they send there Bull inside the game area where all youth who are participating will be ready to catch the bull. Aim is to hold the bull from its back for sometime and control it.If someone hold the Bull for specifid time he gets the prize otherwise Bull Owner gets the prize.Small Items like plastic chairs,TV,BiCycle etc are given as price.and sometime even chiken,goat etc.
More then prizes its the cheering crowd which makes these youth risking there life in the event.When I reached there I didn't get a single point from where I could shoot pics. Forget shooting I was not even able to see the event.I was alone and I dis not understand Tamil.Later somehow with the help of two other photographers whom I met at the event only, I managed to get some place on the ground.It was tough to shoot from there but actually got the nice angel which I figured out later.
This was all fun part of the event but its not only Fun.These young people put there life on risk. every year several people give their life in the event. Lot of people and groups are raising voice to ban the event.At the same time villagers support it as their traditional sport.
I am agree with both the sides.Some people see it as a cruelty to Animal as sometime these bull are given Bhang and even nonVeg to charge them,Which is really bad. But at the same time if you keep away all the cruel part done to Bull It a traditional sport of Tamils. Putting ban on ages old tradition and culture is also not right as it is against human right and after all humans who got hurt at the end.
Well it is like argument on Non-Vegetarian food... We should not eat Non-Veg because they are living beings but then Human is a omnivorous species.If someone loves animals and don't want to eat them doesn't mean everyone should stop eating Nonveg...
Whatever will happen to this sport in Future. I loved to be the part of this event this year.The energy and excitement at the place was great.
Also this bike trip of arnd 1000KM broke all my previous record. First 425KM(10 hours) drive in a day while going & 530KM (13 hours) drive in a day while coming back and that too Alone.
for more pics of the trip please visit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/prasoonpics/sets/72157594488009323/
