Many of those for and against jallikattu are being hypocritical in their stands. For those who claim it to be a centuries-old sport, they conveniently conceal or forget the fact that it was always a sport where a bull faced only one man in the arena; it was never a case where several men pounced on a scared animal and tried to bring it down. Where is the personal valour in this? Old Tamil films such as “Veerapandiya Kattabomman” and “Thaikku Pin Tharam” which have bull-taming scenes depict a bull versus the hero.
A casual look at The Hindu (January 16) will show that there is enough animal cruelty outside and beyond Tamil Nadu to warrant attention (“2 bulls die in A.P. jallikattu” and “Sheep hurled from hill at Yadgir temple ritual”). Are such people and organisations opaque to the cruelty inflicted on bulls while under a yoke or ploughing fields? What about rooster fighting, again in A.P.?
N. Sambasivam,
Chennai
