It was another Pongal for Avaniyapuram residents on Sunday with the entire area wearing a festive look in view of the conduct of jallikattu after three years.
“Jallikattu is conducted at Avaniyapuram usually on the day of Pongal. However, for the past three years, Pongal celebration had been less enthusiastic due to the absence of jallikattu. We feel that today is our Pongal,” said A.K. Kannan, president, Jallikattu Organising Committee of Alanganallur.
The nearly 150-metre stretch of the road in Avaniyapuram had been turned into arena with barricades and galleries erected on both sides. People started gathering in every available inch of space since early morning.
Several people, who had come from various places across Tamil Nadu and even from neighbouring States, were seen pleading with the locals and media persons to get a vantage point to watch the rural sport from.
“I and my friend boarded a bus from Chennai last night and reached Avaniyapuram early in the morning. However, we are still struggling get a glimpse of the event,” said N. Muthukumar, an employee of a software company.
The event began at 8 a.m. with four temple bulls reaching ‘vaadi vasal’ from the opposite direction to the loud cheers and whistles from the crowd.
Though a majority of the bulls ran swiftly from the vaadi vasal towards the exit point, giving little opportunity for the tamers to get closer, some bulls stood long in the arena and took on the tamers to the amusement of spectators.
The only disappointment for everyone appeared to be the lack of time to release all the registered bulls at the vaadi vasal. “Since this is the first major jallikattu in Madurai this year, a large number of bull owners and tamers had come.
However, not all the bulls could be released. I could release only one of my two bulls,” said M. Prabhu, a bull owner from Avaniyapuram.
A moped, large number of bicycles, beds, fans and utensils were presented as gifts by innumerous sponsors to the winning bulls and bull tamers.
A. Prakash, a 23-year-old bull tamer from Vikkiramangalam, who won a huge bowl as prize at the event, said this was the second time he was participating in jallikattu.
“Two years of gap meant that I had little practice. However, I was happy with my performance,” Mr. Praksh said.
