Eyes of the entire nation were filled with admiration and pride when we witnessed one of the most passionate, peaceful and non-violent protests of these times. It was on January 8, 2017 that the whole of Tamil Nadu came out in large numbers to protest for Jallikattu, a 5000 year old tradition which was banned by the Supreme court of India in May 2014. The ban on Jallikattu came after the Animal Welfare Board of India filed a case in the Supreme Court against it for the cruelty that it causes to animals.
The protests continued for a period of six odd days and astonishingly nights as well. Though, the participation was in almost all the parts of Tamil Nadu but the intensity of it was ignited when lakhs of Tamilians gathered at Marina Beach, Chennai. It was incredible of a protest as the majority of people in it were students, the Youth of India. These students put up an altogether admirable side of Tamil Nadu as they peacefully stood for their rights. They used various tactics in order to win the attention and support of the politicians, police, all the other states and most importantly, the Center. The protesters cleaned the beach during the day and there were several businessmen, hotel owners and celebrities funding them with food and also cash. The commendable part of the protests was the fact that the crowd participating consisted of innumerable women as well, who slept on the beach at nights, and despite being with lakhs of men, no case of molestation or rape was reported. There were instances of the police struggling to clear out the crowds with the usage of force. Reciprocation of which was also violence free methods, where the protestors chose to sing the National Anthem or form chains by joining hands. In order to curb the attendance and participation of people, there were jammers being put and electricity being withdrawn. However, the crowd still was immovable and they intensified their passion by using flashlights, candles and torches.
The impact of these enormous efforts was so substantial that Prime Minister himself had to intervene, thereby, uplifting the ban off Jallikattu. An ordinance was signed by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Narendra Modi on January 20, approving of jallikattu and exempting it from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. It was then that the President, Pranab Mukherjee too gave his consent to Tamil Nadu for the amendment. Though it was only due to the applaud able protests by the Tamilians that the tradition was approved of but Narendra Modi’s involvement is also worthy to be looked upon. It was highly responsible on his part to reward Tamil Nadu for its efforts and rights and to retain the democratic molding of the society but what cannot be ignored is the politics behind the move. Records prove that never could BJP make its way in the state as long as Jayalalitha was in power. Only after her demise does BJP holds chances of winning hearts of the Tamilians and this indeed was a clever political move to leave an impact on Tamil Nadu as a whole and on the country too, to some extent, considering that a number of States in the country are in waves of elections.
Being a tradition as old as 5000 years, Jallikattu is not just a practice but an ocean of emotions for the whole of Tamil Nadu. Especially when the farmers in the villages of the state attach sense of pride to this tradition, it is a much awaited sport for them. Stealing this from them would surely have ignited the outrage. Jallikattu is an event where the strongest bulls of the village are showcased in front of all and are made to participate. The most virile of all the bulls wins the contest and there are a number of benefits post that. The owner of the victorious bull is awarded in money, which is a good source of income for him as many of the farmers cannot even afford to raise a bull. Also, the strongest bull is mated with the cows of the village so as to keep the ‘best’ breed protected. This Kangayam breed is immensely helpful to the nation as it provides us with an A2 quality of milk. If Jallikattu gets banned, India will either be deprived of this quality of milk or will have to fall prey to the MNCs which provide an adulterated form of it and that too through the means of imports. Jallikattu is a pro-animal tradition instead of being harmful to them. Every sport contains loopholes of flaws but the solution is not to ban any of them but to instill all possible regulations to curb malpractices which must be punishable by law, if committed. Rare are the cases where people tend to harm the bull, and in such scenarios regulations should be framed for the bull’s protection but banning Jallikattu is totally unfair and incapable on the part of the government.
It is thoroughly relieving and pleasing that India, the nation enriched with diverse cultures and traditions, could protect Jallikattu from being snatched away, at least for the time being. The ban has been uplifted but the judiciary still needs to take the final call. Nevertheless, the country stands united for the highly appreciable protests by Tamil Nadu which were done in order to retain their tradition. The state and categorically, the youth of the state have absolutely redefined the term ‘protests’ and have won praises from people across the globe.Tamil Nadu has undoubtedly set a example for the entire country teaching them how all the correct demands can be fulfilled by asking for them in the correct manner. It is peace, non violence and the correct stand which wins in the end. Jallikattu should be extensively researched on by the judiciary and the government of the country before passing any law on it. Because, India cannot afford another Kashmir in Tamil Nadu only because of displaying certain insensitivities towards the state’s traditions and its people’s emotions.
