Shock and grief gripped Alanganallur on Wednesday after the Supreme Court banned jallikattu , the traditional bull-taming sport, which dates back to several centuries.
The world famous Alanganallur jallikattu , hosted by the village every year, attracts a huge crowd, including a large number of foreigners.
“We are extremely sad. We are also afraid that the tradition of jallikattu will be lost, and the species of ‘Naatu Maadu’ will become extinct if the sport remains banned. It is the most popular game of valour in the State,” said R. Govindaraj, a villager.
The villagers and organisers of the sport claimed the directives of the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, as well as the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu (TNRJ) Act, 2009, were followed scrupulously under the supervision of officials. “Despite this, the Supreme Court has banned the sport. We are willing to follow more stringent regulations, but the sport should not be banned,” said J. Sundarajan, another villager.
Banning the sport will also hurt the religious sentiments of the villagers since it is organised as a part of a temple festival, said P. Rajasekaran, president of the Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Peravai.
“Around 400 bulls are being reared in the Madurai Corporation limits exclusively for jallikattu, and there is no count of bulls in villages. We now expect the State to go for an appeal. The allegations that we ill-treat the bulls are false,” he said.
A villager, affiliated to the ruling AIADMK, said protests would be held against the judgment.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists have welcomed the judgment. “Rules were not followed and bulls are abused in the name of the sport,” said C. Sunitha Christy, president of People for Animals, Virudhunagar.
