The media, all kinds as in print, multi and social, are abuzz with the one burning issue. Yes, go on, say the word, "JALLIKATTU". Why has this thousand year old sport been banned when there are enough social and civic evils completely abominable in nature rampant all over our republic nation? The answer may surprise a very few as it happens to address something more than animal rights or human rights violations.
At the cost of sounding self righteous and drawing comparisons between bull sports around the world, it is necessary to point out that the Indian civilization has always revered nature. As a child I remember waking up to some festival or the other and I am not even talking about the big ones, such as, Diwali and navaratri, the list is exhaustive. We celebrate the sun, moon, planets, trees, mountains, livestock, books, instruments and even snakes. This is the basis of this wonderful land called India. We celebrate nature because we believe that every atom is God. Our Scriptures teach us to believe that I am God "Aham Brahmasmi" and I am That "So Hum". What we call "SHIVA" translates to nature. Shivam is matter while Shakti is energy.
The festivals celebrated and the customs followed in each state although unique to the specific geographical territory are pretty much resonant with other states. A good example is the PONGAL festival. It is celebrated almost all over India as Makara Shankaranti. It marks the Uttaraayana Punyakalam the term Uttarayana is derived from two different Sanskrit words "uttara" (North) and "ayana" (movement) thus indicating a semantic of the northward movement of the Earth on the celestial sphere. This movement begins to occur a day after the winter solstice in December which occurs around 22 December and continues for a six-month period through to the summer solstice around June 21 (dates vary ). It is believed that this time period is conducive to start new ventures as the suns benevolence is at its peak. Hence the new crops are reaped and livestock, widely used in farming activities, is revered and prayed to. There is irrefutable logic and deep science behind every festival, which may indeed be a time for merriment,these are nevertheless a necessity
The Jallikattu is one such practice of venerating the stud bull which is considered a sacred symbol in our culture. The BULL is honored as the vahan of Lord Shiva and is considered to be of great strength and power. Jallikattu or Yer Thazhuvudhal is a tradition performed to ensure the safety of the bulls that is instrumental in ensuring healthy progenitors. The need to use oxen, that used to be an unavoidable asset for agriculture, has been completely done away with the arrival of tractors and other modern farming equipments. The dairy farming industry is dependent on these progenitors to produce healthy milk conducive to the Indian genetic make up. A poor farmer is pretty much dependent on these stud bulls to service his cows to ensure the continuous production of good dairy.
It has been found in recent studies that the milk generated from cross insemination of Indian cows with foreign breeds is toxic and is the cause of many modern day diseases. The Jallikattu Bulls or KAALAI MADU as they are commonly called is an inevitable asset to the dairy farmer to ensure the production of healthy milk.
The attitude of subservience to the biggest and the most powerful force called nature that has steered out societies for centuries has been replaced by greed from the glitter of the west. From a land of content people we have become a greedy money scrounger lot chasing anything that will bring more yield. From knowledge seekers we have turned into wealth grabbers, wealth made at the cost of our neighbors and our future generations. It is all very nice and suave to talk of ethical treatment to animals when leather goods are being sold all over the world and with elephants being killed in huge numbers for their tusks and blue whales and other sea bound bulls being killed for some medicines or the other and untold torture the poultry is put through before it finds its way to the table.
There are a lot of socio-economic and cultural issues involved in conducting jallikattu and it should not be seen behind the tinted glasses of ethical treatment which makes one ponder on the motives behind the groups who claim to be sympathetic towards animals. It makes more sense to demand provisions to be made for safety of the participants, both man and animal rather than to ban the very sport.
To summarize the achievements of humanity today we would be leaving a world devoid of clean air, fresh water, nourishing soil and a perilous atmosphere that would create unknown health hazards.It is time for all the so called animal welfare activists to think twice about the repercussions of their unnecessary interference in the conduct of a civilization as ancient as mankind itself.
Many reading this blog may consider it the rants of another Tamil rebel, but in this case I am just one of the selfish citizens of this country who is worried about her children. Like many, I am worried that I may be left with nothing but a picture of a Bull to show my grandchildren, not to mention the stories of how milk used to be a medicine at some time in the long lost past as opposed to the toxic liquid we would be feeding them in the future.
