Jallikattu supporters, stop this entertainment at the expense of poor
“Ban on Jallikattu is forcing north dominance on south traditions."
"Ban on Jallikattu is attack on Hindu culture."
"Ban on Jallikattu is causing extinction of many cattle breeds."
I have been listing to many such arguments for the last couple of days. Argument involving targeting of "culture and tradition" remind me of Maharashtra’s famous festival of Dahi Handi. In 2016, the Supreme Court restricted the height of pyramids at 20 feet and the participation age of Govindas at not less than 18 years for the festival.
No political party was in favour of a ban or the ruling. It was termed as a ban on the culture of Maharashtra and an attack on Maharashtrian pride. Parties like MNS openly defied the diktat. At many places, MNS-supported Govinda mandals made pyramids 40-ft high and also let minors participate.
In Ulhasnagar near Mumbai, an 11-year-old boy took part in the Dahi Handi celebration. He was at the top of the sixth-layered pyramid when he lost his balance and suffered a head injury. He was a bright, class 6 student, and a part of his brain was damaged. He has now lost his memory and can’t even read or write his own name, neither does he go to school. His father plays tambourine in marriage processions. Doctors say he will never recover.
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| Photo: Indiatoday.in |
Politicians seen chest-thumping in the name of Maharashtrian pride, culture and tradition never enquired about the boy’s health, forget supporting his treatment.
For me, traditions like Dahi Handi or Jallikattu, are instruments for politicians to strengthen and show off their influence. In Mumbai, all big mandals belong to politicians of all parties. Why do we never see the sons of MPs, MLAs, ministers, corporate honchos or politicians participating in Dahi Handi or Jallikattu?
Even the rich as well as educated middle-class is seen only on social media, defending “culture” and “traditions”. These people never participate in such “adventurous sports”. Only the poor and uneducated are left to bear the torch of traditions and culture. For which, sometimes, even their lives are sacrificed, or they are rendered immobile for the entire life.
According to social worker Swati Patil, the petitioner who went to court to ask for restrictions, between 2010 and 2014, five people lost their lives during the Dahi Handi festival and around 2,500 were injured, of which some became immobile for life due to grave injuries in the spine.
Media reports from 2010 to 2014 show that more than 1,100 people got injured during Jallikattu and 17 died. And I am sure they were all from poor rural families. Three bulls were also killed.
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| Photo: Indiatoday.in |
In Mumbai, after the pronouncement of restrictions on Dahi Handi, CM Devendra Fadanvis behaved maturely. He didn’t give provocative statements like Tamil Nadu CM O Paneerselavam. All political parties displayed unhappiness over the restrictions and called it an attack on culture, but they officially towed the SC line, except for the MNS.
No big mandal conducted Dahi Handi events. Although rules were broken, the police filed cases against law-breakers. According to the BMC, in 2016 not a single Govinda suffered any major injury, though around 216 were injured but got discharged soon from hospitals. The Ulhasnagar victim's case was an exception.
In the matter of Jallikattu, I am more aghast at why the young and educated are toeing the line of politicians on social media. Politicians should not be able to fool you. If you surrender, who will make the poor peasants understand that they are needlessly risking their lives for such festicals, for which the mighty get credit.
If people are dying and getting serious injuries, then whatever reasons you provide for not banning Jallikaatu or any such tradition, it will not become RIGHT.
Culture is respecting women, culture sympathises with the have-nots, culture is not to take benefit of the innocent and risk lives.