Children try and tame a bull in Thachankurichi village in Pudukkottai district the place the yr’s first jallikattu in Tamil Nadu was held on January 6, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: M. MOORTHY
As the intense solar casts a heat golden hue, I arrive at Thatchankurichi, a quaint hamlet in Pudukottai district, all completed as much as open the season’s first jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.
Rows upon rows of majestic bulls line the village roads. The animals, adorned with vibrant garlands, are their homeowners’ delight.
Karuppan from Mangadevanpatti village is blissful, as his bull ‘Bullet’ has dodged many a daring tamer and received him a chair. The person, who tends to Bullet like his sibling, feeds it rice bran, corn, oil cake, coconuts and cotton seeds. The nutritious weight-reduction plan prices him ₹300 a day. “Nobody has tamed Bullet within the final two years. With the graduation of the season, I need to take him throughout the State to compete in additional occasions,” he says.
The aroma of fried snacks wafts by way of the air, tantalizing the senses. Small meals stalls providing a tasty array of conventional delicacies catch my sight. The sizzle of sizzling oil mingles with scents of crispy vadas, samosas, and piping sizzling bajjis, creating an irresistible invitation to indulge within the native culinary delights.
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Amidst such vibrant chaos, the village was buzzing with pleasure. The loud audio system, the voices of younger males hustling, and the occasional tinkling of bells tied to the bulls create a symphony of anticipation.
As vibrant cloth pennants flutter within the breeze, including a festive contact to the village streets, the environment is electrical, crammed with the palpable power of members. Enthusiastic spectators attempt to catch a glimpse from the terrace of homes across the enviornment; some even climb onto the barricades to view the game.
As I squeeze right into a spot at a makeshift stage, I spot a gaggle of younger males inside the sector flexing their muscle tissues and preparing for the sport. The bulls are queued up behind a lure door that opens onto the sector (vaadivasal) to launch them separately. A dull-white bull with its menacing hump prices into the vaadivasal. Adrenaline spills over, inside and past the sector. The jostling begins. The cheering deafens. Many males lunge for the hump of the bull, however just one seizes it. He holds on until the bull crosses the end line. With the gang cheering and whistling, the excited commentator screams: “Maadu pidi pattadhu! Maadu pidi pattadhu (The bull has been caught! The bull has been caught)!” He wins a metal cot. With head held excessive, he gears as much as face the following raging bull.
The drill resumes. A black bull jumps out like a bolt of lightning. This time, it’s too fast for the contenders because it breezes its well past. The proprietor, all smiles, follows it with a stainless-steel utensil the bull received for him.
Because the solar reaches its zenith, marking the end result of jallikattu for the day, a wave of satisfaction washes over the village. The members, put on smiles on their faces, as they put together themselves for the remainder of the season.