Jallikattu (Who's The Beast?)

Who’s The Beast?

 

Author:- Manju Vaish

 

   Most of our festivals celebrate a good harvest. We thank the elements of nature — the sun, the rain, the earth, and animals — that have helped the peasant as he toiled to give us this bounty. So kheel-batasha, consisting of rice and sugar, is the traditional offering at Diwali to goddess Lakshmi, an acknowledgement of her infinite grace in granting us a bounteous kharif crop. Similarly, Pongal is celebrated down south, with traditional rice pudding, jaggery, milk and rice being the main ingredients of the offering of thanks. Farm animals, such as the bull and cow, are bathed, garlanded and vermilion is applied on their foreheads, an acknowledgement of their invaluable contribution. How could we ever humiliate them, much less torture them, with horrific rituals such as taming of the bull or Jallikattu? When lumpens hang on to the horns of the terrified creature or yank at its tail, it surely can have no divine sanction. This is just a man-made aberration. And if this wrong-doing has been going on for four centuries, it does not make it any more ethical than sati or child marriage could be in the context of a modern, civilised society.
   All the hoopla and hype that accompany the famed bullfights of Spain cannot camouflage the horrendous cruelty that is inflicted on the beast. Indeed, it is no sport at all, for in a true sport both sides have an equal chance of winning. The three colourful banderillas that are initially stuck into the bull’s back are just cruel spears to madden the hapless animal. The picador, a big burly guy, on an even bigger horse, cuts the bull’s back with his pike, further weakening the beast. This is part of the bullfight ritual that does not get advertised much. The bull ineffectively tries to gore the horse, which is buffeted by a thick pad. Soon the animal is worn out, having endured blood loss, a pike, a few spears and a lot of running about. Finally in a last-ditch attempt at survival, the bull unsteadily stumbles in a half charge, which is easily dodged by the matador. The dazed animal is made to do a few ‘party tricks’ like turn and weave. Finally, the sword, slicing its insides, brings merciful death. Most viewers have no desire to ever witness this macabre spectacle again. I can only hang my head in shame as a homo sapien.