Tamil Nadu's Jallikattu season draws to a close but not before acts of daredevilry by humans and animals.
The centuries-old bull-taming tradition, Jallikattu, commenced on Tuesday January 14, 2024 in Avaniyapuram, Madurai, marking the start of the state's Pongal celebrations.
The DMK may consider a two-tier campaign, where they keep the focus on Chief Minister Stalin, as a senior statesman with 50-plus years of political experience, and let EPS and the BJP shout in the wilderness. In such a case, the second-tier may project Udhayanidhi as the contender and chosen obstructionist in Vijay's path. The attempt, if any, would be to reduce Vijay to Udhayanidhi's level when the former is aiming at Stalin and Stalin alone in the state's political horizon, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Seven people, including spectators and a bull owner, died in jallikattu and manjuvirattu events held across Tamil Nadu on Kaanum Pongal day. Two bulls also died in separate incidents. Over 150 people were injured in the events, which saw hundreds of bulls and tamers participate.
The recent 'revelation' by TN fishers freed by Sri Lanka after they had paid up Lankan rupees 50,000 each in fines, that their hair was tonsured in prison and they were forced to remove their garments other than the underpants, and were also made to clean toilets, as if with vengeance, has touched a raw nerve this time, just as another issue or issues had done it ahead of the Jallikattu protests, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
About 42 people, including 14 tamers and 16 spectators, were injured in the second major event of the Pongal 2024 Jallikattu season at Palamedu in Madurai on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
'It has the potential to sow seeds of furthering discord when the direction of the discourse is aimed at propagating the perceived supremacy of 'cultural nationalism' from a distant past over the prevailing dominance of 'Constitutional nationalism',' argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The vast majority of BJP supporters in Tamil Nadu can't speak any language other than Tamil.' 'When rural Tamil Nadu can't speak any other language than Tamil, how are they going to convince them that they have to learn Hindi?'
They just wanted their angst noticed, and as a symbol of recognition, Jallikattu, restored without the annual ritual of court cases and adjournments, explains N Sathya Moorthy.
Despite severe restrictions imposed on the number of bulls, bull-tamers and spectators thanks to the pandemic, Jallikattu organisers are hopeful of the show going on this Pongal.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the validity of the Tamil Nadu law allowing bull-taming sport "jallikattu" in the state.
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The petitioners challenging a Tamil Nadu law allowing bull-taming sport Jallikattu argued in the Supreme Court on Tuesday that when the law prohibits cruelty to animals there cannot be an amending Act which perpetuates cruelty.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced the formation of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to study the relationship between the Union and state governments and ensure state autonomy. The panel, which will submit its interim report in January 2026 and its final report in two years, will examine the transfer of subjects from the State List to the Concurrent List, citing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) as an example of a subject outside state purview.
The Supreme Court, which is hearing a challenge to a Tamil Nadu law allowing jallikattu, on Wednesday observed that the "ultimate question" perhaps might be whether the bull-taming sport, dubbed by many as cruel to animals, can be allowed in any form.
If the DMK is able to sustain the momentum until the assembly polls, the AIADMK especially and the PMK and possibly the infant TVK too would find it hard to sign up with the BJP, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Gandhi said he has "received tremendous love and affection from people of Tamil Nadu and it is my duty to stand with people of Tamil Nadu and protect their history, their culture and their language."
EPS has had its way on most things, alliance-wise. A week earlier, he reiterated that he would not re-admit OPS and Sasikala Natarajan back in the party. It was a message not just to detractors in the AIADMK. It was even more so for the BJP leadership in Delhi. Even more important for the AIADMK was their demand for accepting EPS as the chief ministerial candidate of any alliance that the party would form, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The 26-year-old construction worker, whose passion is to tame bulls, appeared unstoppable in taming nine bulls, but succumbed after he was fatally gored by a bull at the jallikattu event in the district.
The petitioner demanded that Jallikattu must be conducted under the supervision of the district collector.
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday permitted the conduct of Jallikattu, a popular traditional bull-taming sport in the State, during the Pongal festival with stringent COVID-19 safety norms in place.
The popular bull- taming competition held on Pongal day in Madurai district left about 59 people, including tamers, bull owners and spectators injured.
'We need all the people who support Jallikattu to empathise with a poor, frightened, animal. Like racism and casteism, this is speciesism; discrimination based on species.' 'Human beings consider themselves superior and they consider it their right to exploit non-human beings, the animals.'
'I believe FFI has made a mistake,' notes Aseem Chhabra.
Police said youths were detained at Mudakathan, Alanganallur, Palamedu and Vilangudi in Madurai district, at Nallampatti in Dindigul district and Pottuchavadi in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu for trying to hold the sport defying the apex court ban.
Former Attorney general Soli Sorabjee earlier in the day said that the Jallikattu Bill will pose a serious constitutional challenge.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice R F Nariman framed five questions to be adjudicated on by the Constitution bench.
DMK blamed the Centre and state government for 'not taking appropriate, timely steps' to ensure conduct of the event and announced a state-wide stir.
More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators.
Activists say it is unwarranted to use executive action to make way through the SC ruling against Jallikattu.
'The bull does not want to go in front of the crowd, so they put chillies on his private parts etc to make him enter the game arena.'
Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "considering the groundswell of sentiment and support for the conduct of Jallikattu all over Tamil Nadu, this is an issue on which the government of India must act with maximum despatch."
Several youths made an unsuccessful bid to tame bulls released on the roads by miscreants.
Nineteen-year old Kalimuthu, who was seated in a front row of the viewers' gallery, suffered fatal stomach injury when the bull running in the playing arena suddenly strayed and attacked him.
Jallikattu is organised at 24 places Tamil Nadu between January 14 and January 17. An event can raise up to Rs 15 lakh in a village
DMK working president M K Stalin led a protest in Chennai and sought promulgation of an ordinance to allow holding the sport.
The mass Jallikattu protests on Chennai's Marina beach showed no sign of dying out on Friday, even after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam promised that a draft ordinance aimed at ensuring the conduct of the traditional bull-taming sport has been submitted to the home ministry.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay Tamil Nadu's traditional bullfight Jallikattu for the upcoming festival of Pongal starting next month. A bench comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra did not accept the plea made by the animal welfare board that in view of the untoward incidents during the last season, the continuance of Jallikattu must be stayed.
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