Jallikattu: Civil Services Mentor Magazine: February - 2017

Jallikattu

Jallikattu is an ancient sport of Tamil people where healthy bulls are pitted against healthy bulls. Jallikattu is also known with other names such as eru thazhuvuthal and manju virattu. Jallikattu is sport in which crowd tries to control te bull. However Jallikattu is not only limited to controlling the bull, it has various religious and sentimental meaning also. During the event bull is released into a crowd of people and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump of the bull with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape. History of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu is very old. According to some literatures and mural paintings, evidence of Jallikattu are as old as 4500 years.

Jallikattu has been known to be practiced during the Tamil classical period (400-100 BC). It was common among the ancient people Aayars who lived in the 'Mullai' geographical division of the ancient Tamil country. Even some seals from the oldest civilization in India, Indus valley civilization depict this practice. One of such seal has been kept in the National Museum in the Capital. Evidence of such practice are also present inside the cave painting near Madurai. This cave painting is found to be 2500 years old.

There are several general rules to Jallikattu:

• The bull will be released into the arena through the vadi vasal, an entry gate.
• The contestant should only hold the bull by its hump. Holding by the neck, horns or tail results in disqualification.
• The contestant should hold the bull's hump for 30 seconds or for 4.6 metres, whichever is the longer when the bull attempts to escape.
• If the bull throws the contestant off before the line or if no-one manages to hold on to the bull, then the bull will be declared victorious. If the contestant manages to hold on to the hump till it crosses the finish line, then the contestant is declared the winner.
• Only one contestant should hold on to the bull at one time. If more than one contestant holds on to the bull, then there is no winner.
• Jallikattu in the original form respects the bull. Rule says no contestant should hit or hurt the bull in any manner.

Govt of Tamil Nadu have also done its part to make the Jallikattu as safe as possible for the people and the animal. Following things must be done before organising the Jallikattu:

• A written permission is obtained from the respective collector, thirty days prior to conduct of event along with notification of the event location.
• The arena and the way through which the bulls pass through is double-barricaded, in order to avoid injuries to the spectators and by-standers who may be permitted to remain within the barricades.
• The necessary gallery areas are built up along the double barricades.
• The necessary permissions are obtained from the collector for the participants and the bulls fifteen days prior.
• Final preparation before the event include a complete testing by the authorities of the Animal Husbandry Department, to ensure that performance enhancement drugs, liquor or other irritants are not used on the bulls.

The Animal Welfare Board of India filed a case in the Supreme Court of India for an outright ban on Jallikattu because of the cruelty to animals and the threat to public safety involved. On 2010, the Supreme Court permitted the Government of Tamil Nadu to allow Jallikattu for five months in a year and directed the District Collectors to make sure that the animals that participate in Jallikattu are registered to the Animal Welfare Board. The Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification in 2011 that banned the use of bulls as performing animals, thereby banning the event. But the practice continued to be held under Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act No 27 of 2009.

The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country. Established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (No. 59 of 1960), the Animal Welfare Board of India was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, well known humanitarian. From ensuring that animal welfare laws in the country are diligently followed, to provide grants to Animal Welfare Organizations and advising the Government of India on animal welfare issues, the Board has been the face of the animal welfare movement in the country for the last 50 years.

Given below are some of the important functions of Animal welfare board of India:

• To keep the law in force in India for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals under constant study and to advise the government on the amendments to be undertaken in any such law from time to time.
• To advise the Central Government on the making of rules under the Act with a view to preventing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals generally, and more particularly when they are being transported from one place to another.
• To advise the Government or any local authority or other person on improvements in the design of vehicles so as to lessen the burden on draught animals.
• To take all such steps as the Board may think fit for amelioration of animals by encouraging, or providing for the construction of sheds, water troughs and the like and by providing for veterinary assistance to animals.

• To advise the Government or any local authority or other person in the design of slaughter houses or the maintenance of slaughter houses so that unnecessary pain or suffering, whether physicrd or mental, is eliminated.

• To take all such steps as the Board may think fit to ensure that unwanted animals are destroyed by local authorities, whenever it is necessary to do so, either instantaneously or after being rendered insensible to pain or suffering.

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