Jallikattu event in Tamil Nadu

With the assembly elections are to be held in Tamil Nadu in 2021, Jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming sport of the state has caught the attention of the political parties in the country. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently attended the Jallikattu event.

About Jallikattu sport

The Jallikattu is a two-thousand-year-old competitive sport and an event that honours bull owners who rear them for mating. It is a violent sport. During Jallikattu, the contestants try to tame the bull for a prize. If the contestants fail, the bull owner wins the prize.

Why is Jallikattu important?

The sport is a traditional way of preserving pure breed native bulls for the peasant community. Currently, cattle breeding has become an artificial process. The conservationists argue that Jallikattu is the best way to protect the male animals which otherwise are used only for meat.

What are the popular native cattle breeds used in Jallikattu?

Pulikulam, Kangayam, Umbalachery, Malai and Bargur are the popular native cattle breeds used for Jallikattu.

What were the issues related to Jallikattu?

In 2011, the central government added bulls to the list of animals whose training and exhibition were prohibited. Later in 2014, the Supreme Court banned Jallikattu sport. Currently, the state government of Tamil Nadu has legalised Jallikattu events. In 2018, the Supreme court referred the case of Jallikattu to a constitutional bench. The case is still pending.

Concerns were raised under Article 29(1) against ban on Jallikattu. Article 29 (1) provides rights to Indian citizens to preserve their script, language and culture.

Jallikattu in other states

In Karnataka Jallikattu is called Kambala. The Karnataka Government too passed a law to save the sport. Except in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the sport is banned in other states such as Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2021