The jallikattu controversy is being projected as an ‘Indian Law Vs. Tamil Sentiment’ issue. But just because something is a law, doesn’t mean it is correct. According to the Indian laws, marital rape is not a crime, and same sex marriage is a crime. There are several other instances where Indian laws are against the interest of the people of India, and they need to be challenged. This is precisely what the people of Tamil Nadu, the youth in particular, are doing in a peaceful and a dignified fashion. Also, jallikattu is not an issue of Tamil sentiment — it is a larger socio-economic issue with many facets to it.

Jallikattu is not bull fight, as it is deliberately projected. It is a bull taming sport, where able bodied men tame a healthy bull using bare hands and bare feet. There are strict rules that need to be followed, which ensure that the bulls are not hurt. Often times, it’s the men in the arena who get hurt. The bulls are also checked for substance abuse and injuries, before they are released into the arena.

The bulls that are used for jallikattu belong to the Kangayam and Umbalacheri native breed of cattle, unique to the state of Tamil Nadu. In order to keep this native breed of cattle alive, it is imperative that the male (bull) is kept healthy to pass on the healthy genes for procreation. However, the upkeep of a bull is an expensive affair for the farmers. Hence, on just one particular day, the farmers who take care of the bull all through the year, allow the bull to be tamed for a few hours. In the process, the farmers earn little money, which they use for feeding and maintaining the bull all through the year. The bulls are otherwise not subject to any kind of labour at other points in time. By banning jallikattu, the Supreme Court has banned the only source of income for the farmers to take care of their bulls. And if the bulls are not taken care of, the entire native breed of Kangayam and Umbalacheri cattle will be wiped out.

Kangayam Bull

Since the 1960s, the native Indian cattle breeds have been severely assaulted by the exotic European hybrid breeds that were introduced in India. Today, most of the native Indian cattle breeds are extinct. The exotic hybrid breed of cows produce the A1 type of milk, which according to research, has been proven to trigger diabetes and cardio vascular diseases, whereas the native Indian cows produce the healthier A2 type of milk. The book Devil in the Milk, by Dr. Keith Woodford, explains this in detail. Hence it is not surprising that India, which consumes high volumes of A1 type of milk produced by hybrid cows, is the diabetes capital of the world. Clearly, the pharmaceutical companies would love to see our native breed of cattle go extinct, so that they can make huge profits from a market having 1.3 billion potential customers.

It is also expensive to maintain the exotic hybrid cows, which are highly prone to diseases; hence, farmers find it difficult to sustain their upkeep and care. As a result, in the last few years Indian dairy industry has moved from being dependent on millions of individual farmers having one or two native cows, to an industrialized model where large multi-national dairy corporations with deep pockets (such as Nestle and Danone), have access to many hybrid cow farms, which they literally milk for profits. In essence, the slow extinction of the Indian native breeds has systematically removed the Indian farmer from the dairy industry’s economic value chain.

The hybrid cows are born through artificial insemination, which is also a huge industry in itself. And gradually we are moving towards a cattle eco-system where the bulls, which are no longer needed for continuation of life, are slaughtered and eliminated. Some experts believe that in the next 7–10 years, the native Indian cattle breeds will become extinct and India will be forced to import milk products. This fall from being the largest exporter of milk, to an importer, is a big blow for the whole nation — not just Tamil Nadu. http://www.tehelka.com/2013/01/the-desi-cow-almost-extinct/?singlepage=1

For the rural men who take part in jallikattu, the sport is a lot about pride and a little about prize money too. In order to take part and win the jallikattu competition, the rural men of Tamil Nadu, the youth especially, remain fit and work on their bodies all through the year. As a result, they refrain from drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. By banning jallikattu, we are removing an attractive incentive for the rural youth to maintain a healthy life style.

Jallikattu is not a bloody sport aimed at assaulting a harmless bull. A farmer who allows his bull to take part in jallikattu, spends a significant amount of his meager earnings on the bull, and takes care of it like a member of his family. He will not allow it to be harmed — period!

In summary, Jallikattu is about saving the native Indian cattle breeds, farmer welfare, replacing the unhealthy A1 type of milk with the healthier A2 type of milk, and supporting healthier lifestyles of the rural youth of Tamil Nadu. Hence, jallikattu is not a sentiment issue, it is a socio-economic issue that should bother not just the people of Tamil Nadu, but every Indian who is concerned about the nation’s future and its sustainability. The Supreme Court, has come under the influence of international NGOs with questionable motives, advancing the agendas of multi-national pharmaceutical and dairy companies. It is high time, the Supreme Court, and the people of India stand up against this planned propaganda opposing the age old tradition of jallikkatu, which in many ways is a calculated assault on the native Indian cattle breeds.

— Prasanna Karthik

PS: Tamil Nadu is not a part of Sri Lanka; it is the southern most state of peninsular India. And India is the largest exporter of cattle meat, and the third largest producer and consumer of leather. #JustSaying

Image Source: Google.