(Image source from: Jallikattu back)

Pongal festival is arriving. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is taking the occasion to invoke “culture and tradition” by bringing jallikattu back. With this, the Centre circumvents a SC judgment of 7 May 2014, in which the same reason is hailed by the SC to ban jallikattu. The ban cited jallikattu as plain act of cruelty towards a dumb animal. It also held that the sport was grossly against the Tamil culture and tradition to “embrace bulls and not over-powering the bull, to show human bravery”.

Justice (retired) K.S. Radhakrishnan observed saying that, “Yeru Thazhuvu, in Tamil tradition, is to embrace bulls and not over-powering the bull, to show human bravery... Welfare and the well-being of the bull is Tamil culture and tradition, they do not approve of infliction of any pain or suffering on the bulls, on the other hand, Tamil tradition and culture are to worship the bull and the bull is always considered as the vehicle of Lord Shiva.”

The issuance of notification indicates the NDA government’s accomplishment of successfully taking the U-turn, while its predecessor, UPA II, tried it but SC stopped it just in time through its 2014 judgment banning jallikattu.

The apex court observed that, “Sadism and perversity is writ large in the actions of the organisers of jallikattu and the event is meant not for the well-being of the animal, but for the pleasure and enjoyment of human beings...”

-Sumana