The ‘politics’ of jallikattu

“The discussion in animal rights in jallikattu has been misunderstood,” animal rights activist and actress Amala Akkineni said. Speaking via video conferencing from Hyderabad, Akkineni pointed out that film stars and other celebrities have defended the practice of jallikattu because the film industry is funded by politicians and the stars do not want to wreck the fortunes of their movies.

“We know that the tails of the bulls are broken, that chilly powder is rubbed into their eyes and they are forcibly fed country liquor. The animal is overwhelmed and does not know what’s happening. But now tempers have flown and perhaps it is not a good time to discuss this. But there will be another time, when the voice of the bull is heard. That discussion will happen in the future and it’s perhaps best to have that in court,” Akkineni said.

On the panel, titled ‘Do Animals Have Rights’, social and environmental activist Norma Alvarez pointed out that legally, the challenge is that the Supreme Court has already spoken on the matter. “That is being challenged in the Tamil Nadu Act is if it directly and deliberately opposed the Supreme Court judgment. That is what the Supreme Court has to now look at and resolve,” she said.

Outside of the jallikattu argument, the need to protect indigenous species is a significant one. Even though the traditional Indian way has been to treat animals like they are part of the family, government policy has always viewed livestock from a production orientation. “It is from this emphasis on production that foreign breeds are brought in to supplement indigenous ones. We have strong culture of pastoralism and agri-pastoralism. But this culture is diminishing, even though it is one of the most climate resilient and low impact forms of raising animals. In Kutch, where I work, there are buffaloes that have been adapted to the arid climate. They survive on very little water and they graze at night, because it is too hot during the day. There is a very broad range of animals that we should look at preserving,” said Abi Tamim Vanak, animal ecologist and conservation biologist.

Alvarez also pointed out the logical fallacy of the argument that jallikattu alone will help preserve indigenous species. “Tractors and chemical fertilisers have done more to threaten the breed of indigenous cattle redundant. And then to say I want to use bulls for entertainment in order to preserve an indigenous species is wrong,” she said.

The panel also deliberated on the troubles with the animal birth control (ABC) campaign that was intended to control the stray dog population. “ABC has not been working at all. We have started and stopped so many times. And if we don’t control the population, nature will. Right now there is a canine distemper break out in Bangalore. That will kill lots of dogs. In Kerala they are killing 8 or 10 dogs in a very cruel fashion. And what that means is that the 2 or 3 dogs left behind, will be extremely scared of people and will be prone to attacking humans. And they will reproduce and build a breed of more vicious strays,” Ashwin Sameeran, who runs Enablers, a stray rescue NGO, said.

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