Diwali, the festival of lights, was about lighting diyas and other lights. Then the firecrackers came and we suddenly have a lot of noise and air pollution. Did we ban Diwali? No, we began a movement to reduce the use of firecrackers and we seem to be succeeding as this year, the sale of firecrackers was down from the last. Children are aware and now they have begun asking adults to not buy firecrackers that pollute the environment.
Holi, the festival of colours, became dangerous for the skin and notorious for wasting water in regions that are arid most of the year. The use of chemical colours and free flow of alcohol also put women at risk as Holi was used as an excuse to molest them. But then the corrective measures came from within the society, we did not ban Holi. These days, we clearly see mass awareness about the damages that chemicals do and there is a noticeable stress on use of natural/herbal/organic colours.
Kite flying became a threat to life of birds and even humans as the use of sturdy Chinese strings became popular. The use of glass particles to coat the manja became a serious issue, yet nobody demanded a ban on kite-flying. What was banned was sale of the notorious Chinese manjas. Society accepted the ban because it was for its own good.
This is what could have been done for jallikattu as well. The problem is the wanton torture and infliction of pain on the bulls to make them more aggressive. Instead, we took the approach of throwing the baby with the bathwater. The government needs to argue with the Supreme Court and assure them the modern aberrations in the traditional taming of the bull festival will not be allowed, if the court allows the festival to resume.
THE UPROAR SURROUNDING JALLIKATTU
A massive protest has erupted in Tamil Nadu against the ban imposed by the Supreme Court against the state's favourite bull-taming sport Jallikattu. The protestors from all walks of life are demanding promulgation of an Ordinance to lift the ban on the traditional festival. State Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday demanding the same.
However, the complete answer to the problem may not lie either in promulgation of an Ordinance or in a lifetime ban on Jallikattu. The solution for the government lies not just in allowing Jallikattu to continue. The solution lies in striking a balance between lifting the ban and simultaneously launching an aggressive campaign to eradicate the distortions which have crept in the cultural tradition.
CATTLE VS MAN
Domestication of animals has been a part and parcel of an agrarian India and not just Tamil Nadu. Taming of animals was also a part of this tradition. Cattle such as bulls, cows, buffaloes or even goats are tied to posts outside houses. But whenever they manage to break themselves free from leashes, the male members run after them and tame them.
The art of taming the cattle is also a part of tradition. The sooner the domesticated animal is tamed and brought under control the more efficient a person is considered in villages.
Taming of the cattle helps in extracting work from them more efficiently, be it farming, transporting goods and passengers or milching.
JALLIKATTU AS TRADITIONAL SPORT
Coming specifically to Jallikattu, the sport involves the bulls and is considered to be about 2,500 years old. While the cows are used for yielding milk and giving birth to calves, the bulls are used for farming, transportation and impregnating the cows.
The bulls that would be tamed were used for farming and transportation while the untameable ones were considered to be the strongest and used for procreation.
Jallikattu, thus, was served several dual purposes - it became a means to test the strength or employability of the bulls and also to learn the art of taming them.
MODERNISATION AND DISTORTION
With modernisation of farming, mechanised means of transport and modern methods of impregnating the cows, the role of bulls became minimised. As the bulls got ignored, they also lost strength.
This led to the distortion of Jallikattu as well. As the bulls are no more wild and ferocious, they do not run amok on their own. Instead, they are provoked by smearing chill powder in their eyes, making them drunk or poking them with sharp objects.
BANNING JALLIKATTU
Treating the sport as cruelty to the bulls, animal activists and animal welfare organisations like Federation of India Animal Protection Agencies (FIAPO) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) moved the court. On May 7, 2014, the Supreme Court of India banned Jallikattu after a 10-year-long battle.
Last year, there was massive outrage across Tamil Nadu. However, 2017 has witnessed an unprecedented protest. The people have revolted against the Supreme Court ban. Be they actors such as Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Vikram, Suriya, Dhanush and Simbu or spiritual gurus like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and SadhguruJaggiVasudev or leaders cutting across party lines, all have supported Jallikattu.
BANNING JALLIKATTU UNJUSTIFIED
In such a situation, the best move for the government would be to promulgate an Ordinance to lift the ban on Jallikattu. Simultaneously, the Central and Tamil Nadu government should launch a drive to educate the people about stopping cruelty to animals.
Banning is no solution. The solution lies in banishing the distortions to stop cruelty to animals. The tradition should live and so should the bulls.
