For all his passion for Tamil tradition and culture, DMK president M. Karunanidhi seems to have some reservations about supporting Yeruthazhuvuthal, popularly known as Jallikattu (bull-taming), though Tamil literary works since the Sangam Era wax eloquent on this ancient sport in Tamil Nadu.
Kalithogai , one of the Sangam period works, makes it clear that young girls would not prefer marrying — even in their next births — youths who fear the horns of bulls. Legend has it that Thirumal (Lord Vishnu) tamed seven bulls to marry Nappinnai.
During a debate in the Assembly when he was Chief Minister (2006-11), Mr. Karunanidhi jocularly remarked that instead of admiring the courageous youth taming the bull, the girl might actually harbour some fear, comparing her position with that of the bull.
Even on Wednesday, he refused to comment on the Supreme Court’s latest order banning Jallikattu .
Many Tamil writers, however, feel that the court had failed to take into consideration the age-old tradition before banning the game.
“If cruelty to animals is the basis for the ban, you cannot allow slaughtering of animals also. Jallikattu is part of Tamil culture, and now the ban may be extended to other sports like Manju virattu , in which bulls are just let out to run around,” says Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who wrote the preface for the Tamil novel Vaadivasal , by C. Su. Chellappa.
“ Vaadivasal , probably the only major literary work after Kalithogai , deals with Jallikattu in graphic detail, bringing out not just the confrontation between the animal and the man but also the animal in man,” said Mr. Perumal Murugan.
Chellappa’s great love for Jallikattu could be compared to Ernest Hemingway’s passion for bull-fighting. He visited almost all villages around Madurai and photographed the events.
Another Tamil writer Su. Venkatesan, who has also described Jallikattu in his Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel Kaaval Kottam , said the ban was unjustified as the event nowadays was organised with precautions to prevent cruelty to bulls.
A third writer, S. Ramakrishnan, said bull-tamers were well trained and only in films would a hero tame the animal without practice. “Nothing could be crueler than wrestling and boxing; but Jallikattu is termed a cruel sport,” he said, arguing that bulls always received special treatment and were not subjected to cruel practices.
