Saturday 9 January 2016

Here's why Jallikattu SHOULD NOT be banned!

So after the central govt lifted the ban on 'Jallikattu', there has been a lot of outcry from animal rights activists. As a Tamilian, I'm now obligated to clear some misconceptions about this tradition. 

First off, I am what you call a 'vegan' (actually, I'm a wannabe fruitarian) and I'm being one not because of religious reasons, but of moral reasons. I too rescue, adopt animals and fight for their rights and I strongly believe that humans should not enslave or treat them bad for any reason, YET! I support Jallikattu and am against banning it. I know this could be quite confusing because a person with this 'animal rights activist' profile will usually be associated with organizations like PETA, Blue Cross and would be totally against using animals for entertainment. So allow me to first clear up some misconceptions about Jallikattu and then I'll explain why Jallikattu should not be banned.

Misconception #1 : 'Jallikattu is just a sport for entertainment'


HELL NO! Let me start with the origins of this tradition. There are many theories about Jallikattu's origins, but I'm gonna tell you the one which I learned from my grandparents (who raised two majestic Kangeyam bulls that gave shivers down the village youths' spines during Jallikattu).  It goes something like this : Before tractors came and messed up our fields, we used bulls to plough the land. Before the ploughing and seeding season starts, the bulls will be allowed to mate with the cows (only then these bad boys would be somewhat docile ). Then they'll start working hard ploughing the land.


After ploughing is done, the seeding begins and then there will be no need for the cattle to be in the farm. So the farmers will let the cows & the bulls lose in the graze lands away from the village. They'll roam around free gazing. This is good for both the cattle & the farmers because this is the time the cattle gives birth to their young ones and here at the farm, there would be no worry of the cattle accidentally trespassing and grazing on the cash crops.


But after harvest, the cattle are needed back in the farm because they'll be made to gaze the leftovers on the field during which they excrete manure which is good for the soil and the bulls will be used for transporting the harvest. Now, here's where it all begins. When the farmers let their animals lose, they'll remove the nose rings & ropes of the animals to prevent them being abducted. While the farmers set out to bring back the cattle to their farms, it will be easy for them to get the cows & the calves since they're naturally docile and will have a good relationship with their humans. But our boys (bulls) on the other hand , they don't like to give away the freedom they've enjoyed for the past few months hence they resist.


 So all the youngsters in the village will get together and go on a mission to bring back the bulls. Since there's no nose rope or ring to control the animal, they catch them by clinging on to their humps, and using their legs to stop the bull from running, finally putting the rope back on and bringing them home.  And since this is a highly risky business & takes a lot of 'guts' (sometimes literally), the bull owners will put bounties on the bulls' heads (when they let them lose) to encourage & reward the ones who capture their bulls for them. And when I say 'bounty', I mean literally a bounty called 'Jallikattu' which is cash coins (jalli) tied in a pouch (kattu). This is how it all began. There's no cruel intentions here, no weapon, no blood. But on the course of time, when tractors replaced our bulls, this cycle of letting the bull free and catching it back got interrupted, and worse, both the bulls and the art of bull catching started to go extinct. Hence, as an antidote this art of catching bulls was transformed into a tradition (or a sport) called 'Jallikattu' which saved both the bulls & this art from going extinct. 


Misconception #2 : 'Jallikattu is a cruel sport in which the bulls are tortured & killed'



Okay, first of all, this is not like the western bull 'FIGHTING' in which the objective of the sport is to dominate, torture & kill the animal. In Jallikattu, the objective is to obtain the 'Jallikattu' a pouch which contains the reward coins called 'Jalli' tied to the horns of the bulls. And the guy who manages to cuddle the bull enough to remove & obtain this pouch, wins. The animal hardly spends 20-30 seconds in the arena. 


  

While the players are NOT allowed to carry weapons of any kind or wear protective gears, the bulls on the other hand will not have nose rings or ropes. Plus, they're equipped with a pair of sharp horns which can gore a human within seconds. So it's actually the bull which has the upper hand in this match. 



The objective of the bull is just to escape these players and cross the exit line, which most of them does easily. But some of those bad boys would like to match up. They stop, turn around and charge at the players to show who's the boss. And our players will use their experience, skills and most of all their 'guts' to try and tackle the bull. BOTH the animal and the human are well aware of the game and hence THIS IS A FAIR SPORT, unlike hunting or horse racing where the animal has no idea of what's going on. 

Is Jallikattu absolutely cruelty free with no harm to animals whatsoever? 

No! Like every other animal-human relationship there are some problems in Jallikattu too that need to be dealt with.  Things like giving liquor to the bull, poking it are already strictly prohibited  by the Jallikattu committees but there are always the ones who break the rules, there are always accidents (which is what these activists cherry pick and report to demonize the entire tradition). 


 

They make it look like the entire tradition is evil and cruel to the bull!

I have seen many pet owners abusing their pets. So as per PETA's logic, we should ban keeping pets then? Is that how we should deal with social issues? How does banning the entire tradition for the actions of a few, make any sense?

Animal husbandry is spiritual in our tradition.



We raise our bulls like our children, with much care and respect.



 We even have a festival dedicated to celebrate & show respect to our bulls. It's called 'Maattu Pongal'.



















Has anyone of these activists ever been to a farm in tamilnadu? Do they know how much care it takes to raise a bull? Do they know how protective the bull owners are when it comes to bull's safety? Do they even know that we don't eat beef and consider cows as our mothers?




Jallikattu is what's keeping our native breed of cows from going extinct which is a huge problem for western cattle industry. They want to make money by selling us western cattle, bull semen, medicine, etc and our bulls are in their way. And they used PETA to get rid of them. I wrote a blogpost last year when Jallikattu was banned in which I've explained  this in detail. All we need is strict rules & regulations for jallikattu that'll ensure the safety of both the animals & the players. This will be a win-win for everyone.

  

So listen PETA, the idiots who work for you may be too blind to see your hidden agendas.But we are not. We don't need no western NGO (which euthanizes it's own animals!! how hypocritical?!) and their mindless indian sepoys to tell us how we should treat our animals. Our culture knows better.

''Tamil Nadu' against Jallikattu'' Oh really? How could these gullible pretentious wannabes represent entire Tamilnadu? 


Where were these animal activists when the bulls were sent to slaughter houses after jallikattue was banned? (since the farmers couldn't afford to keep them without Jallikattu money) Why aren't these activists bothered about banning cow slaughter? Is using an animal for sport (which in turn ensure it's survival) worse than murdering an animal?

Even after all this, if these animal activists still want to ban Jallikattu, I'm all up for that too! BUT! Here's what these idiots should get done before banning Jallikattu :

1. Ban Cow Slaughter!
2. Arrange retirement facilities for Jallikattu bulls 
3. Arrange some form of method to stop our native breeds from going extinct. 

 

ONLY after you've done all the above, which I'm pretty darn sure you wont DARE doing (for obvious reasons), you have any right to talk to about banning Jallikattu. I wonder how many of these 'animal activists' even know about the differences between indigenous and western breeds. How many of them have ever raised a bull? Been close to one? IMO, they're are just keyboard activists who are emotionally manipulated by organizations like PETA. 


Jallikattu will continue. 


It's our tradition. It's in our blood. 




It's a relationship between man & animal based on mutual respect which you won't understand. And we don't expect you to. 


No banderillas, No horseback picadors, no ropes, nothing! You need balls. ADAMANTIUM balls! to face a bull with bare hands. And we Tamils have it! 



Our majestic bulls will roam our streets again, soon! Happy Pongal everyone! durrrrr duurrrrr! 

69 comments:

  1. Excellent Post !! Best Reply to misinformed activists...!!

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  3. Pictures explained the truth. Good work man.

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  4. Great article, Janani! Liked your narration.

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  5. Thanks everyone for the comments! Please share the article as much as you can until it reaches them supreme court judges!

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    1. The Supreme Court judges are not going to believe in this piece of propaganda, there is a difference between the gullible idiots, and Supreme Court judges.

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    2. https://youtu.be/coZvTRHt2m4
      Watch the video and maybe it helps you realise something if not you can ignore being reasonable and continue your biased thinking.

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  6. Hi.. May I request to post this in Quora? Will that be ok with you?

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  7. They have banned again!! :(
    Money matters!

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  8. That's an interesting historical view. But sounds to me like rich farm owners took advantage of poor people to get their bulls back. And we call it our tradition now? Bulls are not ferocious animals, then why on earth would they try to escape from the tamers without being abused?

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    1. Nonsense.. where's rich n poor coming here? Bulls are trained for this..

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    2. I was commenting on the convoluted so called tradition explained in this article.

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    3. Bulls are not ferocious but when they see the crowd and pomp of drums they get restless and want fto get out xfrom that place. You should visit the sport where it happens to know the real reason. Apart from accidental injuries there us no cruelty done to animals.

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    4. Bulls are not ferocious but when they see the crowd and pomp of drums they get restless and want fto get out xfrom that place. You should visit the sport where it happens to know the real reason. Apart from accidental injuries there us no cruelty done to animals.

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  9. An eye-opener. Amazing post!

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  10. Bulls are not ferocious? Are you sure you are talking about the 4 legged mammals with horns?

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    1. They are ferocious only when they are tortured to the limits. Many people walk past a bull in the streets they won’t hunt you down and prey you like wild cats.

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  11. Excellent post need of the hour.

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  12. A BIG Thank You for the excellent post

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  13. By definition of veganism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism), you are not a vegan as you support animal sport. It is like saying "I am a vegan and I eat meat".

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    1. The entire article is filled with lies.

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    2. Anyone can type anything in Wikipedia :p I can change it now, if I want to of course... Being vegan doesn't mean one should not move with animals. You portray as if Jallikattu is some sort of massacre.. lolz

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  14. Great you just represented our emotions.. lets hope jallikattu will continue..

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  16. This is not enough. People who support the sport must get together and challenge the ban. Get the ban removed and get peta thrown out of India. They show dairy industry to be bad. I know people who treat their animals as God in this industry. These 5 star activists sitting in air conditioned office make these animal lovers look like deamons.

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  17. This is not enough. People who support the sport must get together and challenge the ban. Get the ban removed and get peta thrown out of India. They show dairy industry to be bad. I know people who treat their animals as God in this industry. These 5 star activists sitting in air conditioned office make these animal lovers look like deamons.

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  18. That cartoon is so blatantly false and stupid I can't believe people believe this article - what nonsense. Should you guys have visited the US you would know the role of PETA in the agriculture industry here. I hate you people in India think the US is secretly trying to do something to hurt the industry. Are your people that stupid? Just because you all live in a society where deceit and backstabbing is your fucking blood don't think the rest of the world is like that. This is why the US is hundreds of years ahead and while you're still living in your fantasy land. Also, gather some facts and stop making up your own stories. It is without a doubt that the sport and tradition is old fashioned and out of date. If you want to keep the tradition alive protect these animals who give you so much.

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    1. "This is why the US is hundreds of years ahead"
      Ha ha ha! Funny!
      People are just sophisticated paupers there!

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    2. Get last , go and play video game

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    3. India is far more than 100 years back in Technology. I am a Engineer works in ISRO and i still regret to tell we are in a very bad stage now. we need to grow up.

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    4. You idiot don’t know anything about cattle and what is the quality of the milk they produce. http://www.cowpedia.in/a1-vs-a2-cows-milk-benefits-side-effects/
      I'm not able to find the research paper where it clearly shows that Indian native breed(with hump) are far more evolved compared to Holstein and Jersey.
      You should read what happened over last 3 decades and how these foreign breeds invaded India and what is the effect on the Indian native breed.
      Study also shows that Jersey/HF are high maintenance and they are not suitable for Indian tropical weather.
      You are an ignoramus idiot who doesn't have any clue and live in pop culture.

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    5. Going by your logic we are still far more intelligent because, even if we are 100 years behind you, we are able to send a rocket to mars, which US failed to do 100 years back :p

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  19. great article. good job buddy..

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  20. The article is great but the credit goes only to the blogger..!! There are better entertainment we have during the festival... It is a very rough game where many die or brutally injured.
    This is a act of insane. Please dont fight for it.Try to be educated and think.

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    1. No bull tamer died after regulations came into place since last 8 years.. Pls avoid on mis interpretted info's

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    2. No bull tamer died after regulations came into place since last 8 years.. Pls avoid on mis interpretted info's

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  21. Excellent post. Glad to understand the roots of it.

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  22. Excellent post. Glad to understand the roots of it.

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  23. Wonderful post.. so much fuss is created and hyped out of proportion on Jallikattu, which is a beautiful tamil tradition..agonising to see this tradition go to ruins..as you rightly said bulls n cows r worshipped and part of the family for these farmers.. which these idiots don't understand..

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    1. No one sends their family members to slaughter houses.

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  24. Wonderful post.. so much fuss is created and hyped out of proportion on Jallikattu, which is a beautiful tamil tradition..agonising to see this tradition go to ruins..as you rightly said bulls n cows r worshipped and part of the family for these farmers.. which these idiots don't understand..

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  25. This is a very nice Article, yes these foreign mercenaries use the name of Animal welfare and try to make it huge business, today's major business are all because of the same,e.g. Hospitals, FMCG products,vegetables to automobiles every thing has foreign involvement and commercial aspects. Look at the cultural changes in the last 2 decades and the impact. Today people speak health industry is trillion dollar industry, 2 decades back people used to call it a divine job. today every thing is commercial. People today needs to understand that these mercenaries all are pure business minded and everything they try to do is to destroy our traditions and call it a Myth with out proper facts and figures. Jallikattu is in such a situation. Hope people understand and protect our traditions and values.

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  26. Nice post :) We need to spread this to everyone who do not understand Jallikathu

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  27. "Sati" was also a practice and tradition in our ancestor's blood, may be we should bring that back?! :D ;) :p

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  28. Nice post... thanks for sharing the beautiful history with us.

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  29. Very Good write-up and eye-opener on the traditional and cultural game for Tamils and this has been played well over centuries. The Bulls that are used for the sport are well trained and treated like a child in the family.
    Why peta?
    Because America now wants to slave India and Indians (like British did for 200 years). They give large sums of money to the sipoeys and film these events in some cardboard made home settings (BBC Documentary Nirbhaya coersed the family of Nirbhaya and did all these things which are not even relevant to the family, that blew the Indian image. I am asking who are these BBC idiots to come to India and shoot these films? Who has given the permission to do so?).
    Another incident: The US Doctor who killed the Lion Cecil in South Africa was freed from the animal slaughter. Where has Peta been for the doctor? They didn't force the US Govt to kill the Doctor OR imprison him, instead he was freed from Jail).Now the real interest PETA India is against the Bull taming (Jallikattu) is because America is now greedy for taking the Indian Milk Industry by importing jersey and other US, UK cows to India and kill the local farmers. This is worth 1 Lakh Crore Rupees. So the money PETA has spent is for stopping this and to maximise the benefit for the America's vision to make India a slave nation. Read about the Bilderberg group and Rothschild who are now bringing a NWO(New world Order) to control the world and reduce human population. The Bull taming is one of the kind for them to poison the milks produced by the Jersey cows. The reason is all of US top CEOS and executives are from India (especially Tamil Nadu).

    Save tamilan's cultural Bull and India from America!!!
    --- Ungal Tamilan with tears.

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  30. Excellent post.Great work and very true message

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  31. You should be pretty ashamed of yourself for lying shamelessly and influencing gullible minds. I hope you get back what you deserve. "I am a vegan, and a wannabe fruitarian" Jerk.

    Rebutt the following if you can, which you obviously can't.

    (1) The author of the original article is not a vegan. And he should stop lying to make his point of view seem more neutral.
    (2) Nice story about the origins of the event. Accepted. Is it relevant to the practice today? No.
    (3) No one ever claimed that bulls are killed intentionally. But have bulls died? Yes. Have humans died? Yes.
    The argument put forward is, put mechanisms in place, enforce them strictly. And what makes them think that none of this is not being done? The change can only come with the people. And i don't see people caring more about bulls than themselves, any time soon. 17 human deaths in 4 years. Over 200 dead in two decades. A number of bulls die every year. For the author, all of this is some minor issue.
    (4) "Do they even know that we don't eat beef and consider cows as our mothers?"
    Yes, you don't eat beef. But you do readily sell the cows to slaughterhouses when they are of no use to you.
    "Has anyone of these activists ever been to a farm in tamilnadu?
    So, the author thinks that Tamil Nadu has no animal rights activists, Tamil Nadu has no vegans, Tamil Nadu has no PETA activists. Nice.

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  32. (5) " 'Tamil Nadu' against Jallikattu'' Oh really? How could these gullible pretentious wannabes represent entire Tamilnadu?"
    So, all those who are for the ban, are "pretentious wannabes". That is a new philosophical lesson for me.
    (6) We know the difference between Western and Indigenous breeds.
    First, the author lies about him being a vegan, then makes wild remarks against all animal rights activists, because they are opposed to something he is fond of. Even school kids know the difference between western and indigenous breeds. It is clearly evident who is the "pretentious" guy over here. I know that A2 milk is better than A1 milk. But i am pretty sure that the author does not know that any other mammals' milk is not healthy for us. But that debate is for some other time.
    (7) "Here's what these idiots should get done before banning Jallikattu :
    1. Ban Cow Slaughter!
    2. Arrange retirement facilities for Jallikattu bulls
    3. Arrange some form of method to stop our native breeds from going extinct."
    We are working towards banning animal slaughter in entirety, and not just cows. Don't worry. Regarding (2) and (3), that is the work of the government, and not an NGO.
    (8) "So listen PETA, the idiots who work for you may be too blind to see your hidden agendas.But we are not. We don't need no western NGO (which euthanizes it's own animals!! how hypocritical?!)"
    Everyone who works for PETA is an idiot. Wow, that is one great way to counter criticism.
    In 36 years of existence, the author has only cited one activity of PETA. Which is obviously the propaganda spread by the meat and leather industries to spoil PETA's reputation. And then he claims that activists are cherry-picking. Why don't you show this to your readers- Victories
    Some other points-
    What makes Hinduism so unique, is its ability to change with times. It is not bound by books. Yes, i do agree that the laws are much less harsh on the other religions, but i believe that we should take it as a strength, and not as a weakness. We had Sati banned, we had polygamy banned, we had the Gadhimai festival banned, we had animal sacrficies banned; just because of external interference. And look at the people from the other communities. Women from the Muslim community are still fighting against polygamy, and other archaic rules. Don't you feel joyous to see how beautiful our religion is? We had Ram in one yug, Krishna in another. Both with difference mindsets. The only similarity being, they were suited to the time they belonged to.
    It makes me sad to see that i am being asked for my identity. If i post a question which states "Why are Indians blatantly supporting ABC", does that make me a non-Indian or a hater? We should stop trying to involve animals into the fight among religions.
    Yes, we are against Bakri-Eid. We are against all forms of violence against animals in all forms. But sadly, Abrahamic religions are too rigid for change. And that is really sad. But we surely are campaigning passionately, and will soon free animals from all such cruelty.
    We are not working for the West.
    And this- Is 'PETA Kills Animals' a Scam?
    PS - Have a look at all that various animal rights groups in India have achieved, before claiming that they are puppets of foreign interests. The only reason why PETA receives so much criticism, is because it is standing against the giants. No one would have bothered about it, if it was hand-in-gloves with governments.

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  33. I really wanna know how jallikattu prevents our native breeds from going extinct.The bulls can breed with/without jallikattu.Are u trying to say that farmers will keep those bulls only if they are promised some jallikattu money?I'm not against jallikattu but this EXTINCTION thing....I don't get a piece of it.

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  34. Excellent post . Great work in compiling this. I hope this blog is an eye opener for many who doesn't know our roots.
    2nd day of pongal is a day to thank the sun god for the harvest and 3rd day maatupongal is a day to thank the cattle for the harvest. When I was a kid although I grew up in town the only reason I used to go to my village Is jallikattu. We used to go to watch certain bulls in sravayal as they were so famous that you can't touch its tail . Beyond this being a sport which doesn't dictate animal cruelty by any means ( actually is the other way round I.e this is for the well being of the animal) ppl has to understand that this has got far reaching consequences to our states and inturn our countries agriculture industry.
    For ppl who can't understand this I bet you can never understand this so stop asking questions. Guys please understand if a culturally relevant sport has to be banned for some outliers who don't follow the rules then every sport and also festival has to be banned .

    There are ppl who abuse women in holi festival In the name of rubbing colors on them. There are accidents that happens during Diwali when you burst crackers. Do you want to ban all these festivals ? Think.

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  35. It is true that bulls are difficult to catch after a long time of freedom.OK.but,the bulls will be captured anyway.Then what? You can very well start your agriculturing process instead of keeping a bounty on the bull you have already captured.

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  36. Now I support Jallikattu....good post.

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  37. Great post... thanks a lot for this blog...

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  38. So, why dont no other agriculture base country or even any other indian states practise thi s bull catching game? If it is so important, why only in TN?

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  39. Guys.... out of ignrance i am asking.... why people arw responding for such sport ? Iz it only for sentiments or any other reason

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  40. First of all, don't can yourself a vegan. Being vegan is not a food habits but a lifestyle choice. Supporting animal torture in any form is right against the ideology. There is no hugging the bull, people are supposed to pin the bull. Obviously not edited by the bull. No one leaves bulls in open to graze from last 50 years, so no need to bring them back either.

    If you are really vegan, you would have gone thru 3 steps of getting there. It is similar to idea of luxury, necessity and need... U eliminate animal products in that order. First avoid circuses, zoo and stupid festivals like Jallikattu (luxury), then wearing animal products and finally food habits like milk, honey, etc. Even our activism also follows these... Stop being pretentious and try earning credibility by calling yourself vegan, just to prove a point.

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  41. Nice article of jallikattu learned lot after reading this�������� ... I don't know anything about it before reading this... learnt a lot... thank u ������

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