It was a mood of partial victory for nearly 35,000 people gathered at VOC Grounds on Saturday when the Governor promulgated the ordinance for conducting jallikattu. The joy of the crowd doubled as unexpected drizzle embraced them.
But the core group, which started the mass campaign, cautioned that the protest will continue until a permanent decision is taken to conduct jallikattu without any hindrance.
Though 40 % of the crowd left the ground following the official announcement, nearly 20,000 people stayed back with the key organisers, who had commenced the protest with 100 people on Tuesday.
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“It is a partial victory for us. Our main demand is a permanent solution to the issue, that is omitting bull fighting from the purview of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. We will remain in the ground with like-minded people. There should not be any hindrance in conducting jallikattu in the future,” said Manikandan Thangavel, a member of the core group.
As the announcement was made, the crowd burst into jubilation and shared joy by dancing and hugging each other.
Slogans against PeTA, that have been echoing in the venue for the last five days, gave way for whistles for a moment. Even women in their 40s where stepping to the beats of traditional drums, bringing to the protest venue an ambience of a carnival. According to senior volunteers, those who left the venue were floating congregation, the strength of which used to vary.
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Amid celebrations, the organisers made it clear that they will not move from the ground even if jallikattu is organised on Sunday.
“What we witnessed in Coimbatore is part of a mass campaign that shook Tamil Nadu in the recent times. The purpose of the protest and toil by thousands of people will be futile if the protest is called off following the announcement. We have communicated with the protesters in other districts and have resolved to continue the campaign until PeTA is banned and amendments are made to PCA Act,” said another member of the core group.
Traffic on Avinashi Road, Park Gate Junction and Dr. Nanjappa Road crippled after protesters thronged in jubilation.
They also shouted slogans against political leaders and celebrities.
In Coimbatore, a group of hotels, under the RHR banner, have announced stopping sale of soft drinks by foreign firms.
Udhagamandalam: R. Arun, a resort owner, has decided not to use foreign soft drinks in his resorts in support of jallikattu. As part of this decision, the staff of the resort in Ooty staged a demonstration in their campus and poured all the soft drinks and raised slogans in support of jallikattu and against PeTA.
“As a Tamilian, I wanted to do something in support of jallikattu. As students are leading this protest, I decided not to supply foreign soft drinks in my resorts and promote Indian-made soft drinks. We are going to sell tender coconut to our tourists and also highlight the Tamil culture. I hope other resorts and hotels in the Niligiris will follow this to show our support for jallikattu and Tamil culture,” said Mr. Arun.