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/
4 comments:
Hey dude!
Just amazing - both your blog and the pix @ flickr! As I said - you would be welcome at bikenomads and also if you want to you could join us for the rides - I would love to have u on the group.
The next one day ride destination is Skanda giri, most prolly!
Hi, Where is Skanda Giri ?
Pls mail me on mvhemanth@gmail.com
@ Blogadmin: Check out http://rides-n-vibes.blogspot.com/2007/02/in-search-of-those-clouds.html it has all the details.
hi...saw your enthusiasm for jallikattu...thought you may like to know more about it. so, here goes...
THE JALLIKATTU BULL
Have you ever wondered that when there are people and cattle throughout the world, why does an event like jallikattu exist only in Tamil Nadu? Have you ever seen the Indian Gaur stand up against a tiger or an African Cape Buffalo ever ward off a pride of lions. the first and foremost reason for the existence of jallikattu lies in the nature of the bull itself. Please know that any bull cannot be a jallikattu bull. It needs to have certain characteristics of boldness, aggressiveness, speed, stamina and a high degree of intelligence to become one. The bull does not need to be irritated to attack people. it does so because that is its nature. And the bull has that character right from the time it is born. Of the thirty plus breeds of cattle found in India, only one breed, the “irusadhi” breed of cattle has the above characteristics. These cattle are found in huge herds numbering in the hundreds that are tended to by a few cowherds. The cattle are so pugnacious, that it is not advisable for anyone to approach the herd except for the cowherds. In a herd, the cows are much more dangerous than the bulls. If one decides to attack, then all the cows will charge in unison.
When someone wants a jallikattu bull, the person chooses from among twenty to thirty calves present in the herd. Various factors are taken into account when choosing a calf. Some factors considered are the age of the cow (calf’s mother), body conformation of the cow, character of the cow, character of the calf, body conformation of the calf. The calf, once weaned is then taken home and reared for jallikattu. The calf is very unruly and charges at anything and anyone. As it grows up it may or may not accept its handler.
This breed of cattle is the essence of jallikattu.
It may be the reason jallikattu came into existence. if jallikattu is banned, there is a high probability of this breed becoming extinct as the breed is not suitable either for diary or draught purposes.
THERE ARE A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS SURROUNDING JALLIKATTU THAT I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY
1. The bulls are fed alcohol, lime is squeezed into their eyes and snuff into their noses to irritate and anger them - a bull who is blinded or made to go crazy will become disoriented and unable to ward off the people trying to catch him, thereby getting caught. No bull owner wants this.
2. Jallikattu is cruel to the bull - If jallikattu is an event of torture for the bull, then how is that the bull walks calmly about into the arena. A dog that hates the vet's clinic will throw up tantrums. If a small dog can do so much, imagine what a bull can do.
3. Jallikattu is not similar to Spanish bullfighting for the following reasons:
a) The bull is killed in Spanish bullfighting, not in jallikattu.
b) In Spanish bullfighting, the bull enters the arena for the first time and hence does not know what is going to happen. Whereas in jallikattu, the bulls are accustomed to the event from a young age. The bulls know exactly what is going to happen and they are ready for the event.
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