We have all heard the ongoing saga of Jallikattu in Bharat. On 21 January Shri Modi lifted the ban by an executive order. The ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in 2014 as a result of pressure from Animal Rights and other groups under the pretext of elimination of cruelty to animals. Jallikattu is not only a sport but a cultural event practiced for millennia in South Bharat.
Jallikattu is a part of Pongal (Harvest) festival which is celebrated from the time of ancient Tamil Sangams. The games involving bulls most probably spread from the South to Sarasvati-Sindhu valley, Bactria, Anatolia, Levant and Minoan civilization in Mediterranean Sea where ample pictorial proof is found and was called by the Greek name Tourokathapasia. In modern times it is practiced as bull fight, bull running or rodeo in Americas and Europe. These games may have started more than 5000 years ago as indicated by the tablets found in the Sarasvati-Sindhu valley.
Why these misguided groups do something to stop killing of millions of animals (cows, pigs, goats and sheep) every day which is really the highest form of cruelty? It seems their aim is to erode and possibly eliminate ancient cultural practices. There are millions of wild animals kept in houses. These animals have no chance of even seeing their kind in their life time. Is that not a cruelty?
Narsibhai Patel
New Malden
