Russian president Vladimir Putin will be in Tamil Nadu in January 2020 to witness the famous bull-taming sport Jallikattu at Alanganallur during Pongal celebrations, people familiar with the developments said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany the Russian leader to the southern state to have a glimpse of the sport, the above mentioned people said.
Jallikattu is a sport, played as a part of Pongal (harvest festival dedicated to Sun God) celebrations, where a bull is let loose into a crowd of people. The participants are supposed to take control of the bull by holding its hump as long as they can.
“The world-famous Alanganallur (a village near Madurai) Jallikkatttu event ahead of Pongal festival attracts thousands of viewers. People from foreign countries routinely visit the spot to witness Jallikkattu. We have heard that Putin would visit the event along with the PM Modi,” said a top official with Madurai district.
When HT contacted Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar, who represents Thirumangalam assembly constituency in Madurai district, he said that there was no official confirmation of the news.
In past years, competitors have been gored to death by bulls prompting the Supreme Court to ban Jallikattu in 2016 after a plea by animal rights groups but Tamil Nadu insisted Jallikattu was a crucial part of its culture and identity.
The Supreme Court order triggered massive protests where several groups, organised largely via social media, conducted a protest at the Marina beach in Chennai. The protests soon gained momentum and spread all over Tamil Nadu.
Growing tensions in the state capital Chennai, and other cities, led the government to issue an executive order that the centuries-old festival will go ahead as usual.
Jallikattu is part of the three-day Pongal festival and derives its name from Tamil words ‘salli’ meaning coins and ‘kattu’ meaning package. This refers to the bag of coins which is tied to the bull’s horns which participants try to get hold of. The bull species called Bos indicus, or humped cattle, is specifically bred for Jallikatu. The bulls that do well at the event are used latter for breeding..
The bull species called Bos indicus, or humped cattle, is specifically bred for Jallikatu. The bulls that do well at the event are used latter for breeding.
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