Even while the entire State is waiting with bated breath to know Supreme Court’s view on holding jallikattu as part of Pongal celebrations, the residents of Poolamedu panchayat in Attur union are busily engaged in training the bulls for the event.
The jallikattu is an annual affair in the village for the past many decades and a cross section of the people of Poolamedu and the surrounding villages say that they cannot imagine a Pongal celebration without jallikattu.
About 200 bulls from Poolamedu and the neighbouring areas of Thammampatti, Kadambur, Sentharampatti, Nagilampatti, Koodalamalai, Kondayampalli, Mankapatti, used to take part in jallikattu every year. As all precautionary measures were taken, no untoward incident has been reported in the village all these years. The people have been strictly adhering to Supreme Court guidelines in holding this event, says A. Kandasamy, former Poolamedu Panchayat president and president of the Jallikattu Organising Committee. “The bulls were getting ready for the event for the past few months, so also a large number of youth. We have already approached the district administration and submitted our petition seeking permission”, he says.
The people and the organisers are so well prepared that they can conduct the event on the very next day of the Court giving a favourable order, he says. A section of the people has planned to hoist black flags atop houses on Tuesday demanding permission for the event.
