Chennai has set the bar so high
on how to effectively protest without public disruption, that anyone in across
the world who wants to do protest, must read about it. I’m so proud to be from
this city and to have friends participating in this protest. Sadly, I am miles
away from the marina beach, but I do have fond memories of protesting along
with Anna Hazare led anti-corruption protests in 2011.
Chennai/ Tamil Nadu’s protest for Jallikattu
Jallikattu is a sport played
during the Pongal festival in January each year. It’s a harvest festival for 4
days marking the beginning of Thai month in the Tamil calendar. The third day -
Mattu pongal is a day observed to respect and love the cattle, which is an
integral part of the agricultural life of a farmer. On this day, the bulls are sent thru an entry
gate called ‘vadivasal’ to a playing field and the youth of the village try to
hold on to the hump for a short while. If anyone succeeds, they are declared
winners and if the bull successfully leaves the playing area without anyone
holding it, it is the winner. There is a lot of pride attached to this sport
and so bulls are reared and prepared for this purpose. The bulls that are
successful are then used as studs for breeding.
Animal welfare organizations have
argued endlessly that the bulls are being tortured in this sport. There are
arguments that liquor is fed, chili powder is sprayed or its tail is pulled to aggravate
the animal and make the contest harder for the participants. I have however not
seen a game in person. So, I’m basing my opinion on the news that I’ve been
hearing all these years. In 2009 a rule was passed that the
sport needs to be conducted with supervision. Between 2009 and 2014 PETA, found
evidence of torture and got the Indian government to ban this sport completely.
Since the ban, every year during
Pongal there have been unsuccessful protests and efforts to get the government
to retract their decision. This year despite huge protests the ban remained intact
during the Pongal time, however the scale and intensity increased by many folds
after the festival. Being away from the
center of action gave me a chance to think of a few reasons of the scale of
protest.
- Messages that were effectively communicated - Jallikattu is a sport designed to keep the native breeds alive and a theory that the dairy industry wants to kill the native breeds and take monopoly of the A2 variety milk that is supposed to be healthier.
- Karnataka’s Cauvery protests – In the last few years, although there were protests to get Jallikattu back, there was an underlying respect for Supreme Court rulings. People accepted it. But in 2016, when Karnataka refused to follow Supreme court order on releasing Cauvery water because of local protests, it opened a new line of thought that pressure of protests can overrule court orders. Sadly, it worked for Karnataka and it seems to be working partially for Jallikattu, with the ordinance being passed
- Lastly, when the above two reasons are added to identity politics and victim sentiments it intensifies the situation many folds.
On Jan 20, 2017 when the
ordinance was passed, many of the whatsapp groups that I’m part of with my Chennai
friends were buzzing. In one of the groups, I had a brief conversation with a
friend and below is the English version of that
Me – Hey, looks like the ordinance is passed! is there going to be
Jallikattu this year?
Friend – Yes, of course
Me – but, it happens during Maatu Pongal (Day 3 of the festival) rite...
aren’t we past that time now?
Friend – Yeah, but for us it will be Pongal only with Jallikattu
Me – oh. nice. You playing this time?
Friend - no! it’s not for me. We
need more guts to play the game
Me – Isn’t it just hugging the bull, that’s what I’ve seen people say in
the protest videos? ;)
Friend – Agree it has to be played under rules to make it safer… etc
The chat went on for some more
time, but the point that I’m trying to highlight is that some of the protestors
have not been anywhere close to a game before nor do they intend to play in the
future. Of course, it’s perfectly OK to support a cause that affects your
fellow countrymen even when you are not directly impacted.
But, I do have questions to some
of the points being highlighted in the protest videos.
Is Jalikattu the only way to save Native breeds?
Its often highlighted that there
were 130 native Indian breeds that were alive hundred years back and only 30
odd exist now. No doubt, the role of a bull has vastly reduced in agriculture
or in general in rural areas. But, is it worth looking at how other states and
other countries are handling this issue?
Jallikattu was played all these
years and yet there was a drop in the bull variety. So, is it the only solution
or should we look at the issue more holistically to make sure bull is not added
to the list of endangered species in future?
Is it the right way to get it back?
I also believe that the sport
should continue with a proper framework that ensures safety for the bull and
the people participating. But essentially, this protest is to lift a ban that
was set to ensure safety of the bulls. So, I believe it has to be won back in
the courts by argument and reason that it isn’t harmful to the bull. The
protest can no doubt help in bringing people to the table to discuss and
rethink this ban, but I hope this pressure alone doesn’t end up in the ban
being revoked. It would set a very bad precedent where pressure of protests
overtakes rational thinking capacity of the institutions we need to trust.
