Jallikattu: In the name of custom and tradition

The apex court on Tuesday lifted a ban on the age-old tradition of a bullfight named ‘Jallikattu’ held every year in the harvest season in Tamil Nadu during the popular Pongal festival.

Earlier after hearing a PIL the Supreme Court had termed it as ‘barbaric’ and an act of cruelty to animals. But it is only a conditional grant as said the bench comprising of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice J.M. Panchal.

As the event consists of fight between men and animal that ends after injuring both, it has brought a subject of criticism from all quarters and hence demands of its ban. Meanwhile, the court has directed district administration and Animal Welfare Board to have a look at the event and take all precautionary measures to prevent participants and animals from any kind of injury.

However, the manner the state government appealed against the court’s earlier ban decission can best be seen as a vote-bank politics by appeasing a segment of people who consider themselves as guardian of such age-old tradition and customs.

There is a need of another socio- cultural revolution to evaluate several age old practices such as animal sacrifice and senseless sports like Jallikattu in the name of religion, custom and tradition.

No doubt such custom holds a strong significance as far as some particular religious activity is concerned but we should not forget that no religion or belief permit us to harm anybody whether animal or human being. Moreover, it is difficult to understand what kind of pleasure those people derive from such a horrifying practice that subjects to animal cruelty.

Those who are pro to Jallikattu often give example of Spanish bullfight but that in no sense permits us to continue the same primitive customs which are in no way reasonable and has attracted many criticism. Again those so called custodian of our culture question - whether we are vegetarian or non-vegetarian but they completely forgot the need of change in a progressive world.

What kind of pleasure one get by watching the bull being killed or the person being dragged with blood all over his body is also contentious.

It is also litigious that where all animal activists have gone perhaps they will yell when everything will be over.

With time government has brought laws against Sati Pratha, child marriage and hence there is nothing wrong if one purpose to ban Jallikattu or any other form of tradition that is against nature or humanity as a whole.