MADURAI: While many people were getting ready to participate in protests being held across the city to allow jallikattu, a group of men from Kariselkulam were busy preparing for the conduct of the game itself on Friday defying the Supreme Court's ban.Jallikattu is held as part of the festival of Mariamman-Kaliamman temple in Kariselkulam near Vilangudi every year, but not for the last two years due to the ban. This year however, the youth decided to defy it and arrangements were made stealthily. They worked throughout the night to establish a ‘vadivaasal', the gateway through which the bulls are unleashed into the arena, on a dry paddy field near the village tank. It was made of stumps of Palmera trees lined on two sides and tied with ropes.Eager men brought their animals, all decked up with garlands and shawls, to the venue and kept them hidden behind the bushes to be released one after another. "As we did not want any untoward incidents, we tethered the bull with a long leash to ensure that it did not run into the spectators,'' said Prakash, a villager. Some game animals, including Ramu and Anbu which had won many prizes in the previous jallikattus, were unleashed and the spectators clapped and hugged each other gleefully. "I had tears in my eyes to see jallikattu after such a long time,'' said Saravanan.The officials got wind of it. At first a lone police constable came to the spot and was later joined by North Tahsildar Thirunavukkarasu and Koodal Nagar inspector Regina. However, the bull tamers continued with the game for some time as the crowd started milling. When the authorities attempted to remove the ‘vaadivasal', the angry villagers refused to give in. The game was stopped after sometime after the police held talks with them. Later, Koodal Pudur police registered a case against 21 people under sections 143, 188 and 289 of IPC based on a complaint by village administrative officer T Rajavelan.Meanwhile, elsewhere in the district, enthusiasts of the bull-taming sport were getting ready to conduct the games defying the ban. Madurai's first game is usually held in Avaniapuram in the city, where the police were seen in large numbers patrolling the region.Shops downed shutters on Friday evening and some of the otherwise busy roads looked deserted. Special police posts have been established in the ``vaadivasal'' in Alanganallur and other villages to prevent people from conducting the games. It was alleged that people were being warned against taking out their cattle in the next three days. ``That one game has been conducted is a good sign that we will have a better monsoon this year. Hope many others are conducted,'' said Pandi of Palamedu, where the game is held on Pongal day.