#WeNeedJallikattu
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The bulls in Alanganallur came out of the vaadi vaasal (entry door) at high speed. Only a quarter of the contestants were able to hang on to the bull and win the contest. Credit: Vinoth Chandar/Flickr CC 2.0
Imagine this scene a few thousand years ago in the Indus Valley region. A group of herders out grazing a few hundred cattle, enjoying the warm sun on their backs with the occasional cry of a calf seeking its mother and the mother guiding it. The whole herd is on the move as the lazy day passes by.
Suddenly a bull decides to run astray. With wild animals lurking, there is the danger of the herd breaking up into smaller groups. A young herder emerges and chases the bull. Bulls being males high on testosterone run quite fast and finally the herder catches up with it. He lunges forward and holds onto the hump of the bull. The hump is a unique feature of Bos Indicus cattle. He manages to hold onto the hump, slowing the bull down and finally stopping it. He leads it back to the herd and the group continues, while showering praises on the young herder for catching the bull.
Now imagine this scene repeated on a daily basis and the herders sharing the story with the villagers when they pen the cattle for the night. Over time, the skill of embracing the hump to slow the bull down is celebrated and contests are held to showcase the skill. This is called Eru Thazhuvuthal meaning ‘Embracing a Bull’. Indus Valley civilisation is known for being one of the most advanced and sophisticated amongst its contemporaries. The sport of Eru Thazhuvathal is celebrated so much that they decide to make a seal depicting the same.
During the rule of the Nayak kings, gold coins, wrapped in a piece of cloth were tied to the horns, and the tackler hung on to the hump of the bull and untied the knot to get at the prize. Jalli/salli means ‘coins’, and kattu is ‘tied’. A small bag of coins was tied to the horns of the bulls, which the players claimed as a prize. The only way you could do that was to embrace the hump of the bull long enough to grab the bag without getting hit.
Now a token cloth is tied in the horns which the tackler collects as a trophy. The focal point of the event is the vaadi vaasal, the entrance. The bulls are let through this entrance, into the track, where the players wait. The track is usually the main street of the village, with the side lanes blocked. The event begins with the visit of village elders, led by a band drummer, to the temple of the village deity. The Koyil Kaalai (temple bull) of the host village is allowed first and as a mark of respect and gratitude to the host village, players allow it a free run and don’t touch it. Today, educated youngsters from these villages are also involved in the rearing of bulls and participate in the sport. All classes of people and all castes take part in Jallikattu. There is an egalitarian perspective where it’s humans and their cattle, nothing more nothing less.
Jallikattu is an ancient sport. The seals of the Indus Valley civilisation depict it, which is proof that this sport was in vogue 5,000 years ago. Ancient Tamil poetry, known as Sangam literature (2nd BCE – 2nd CE), has many detailed references to Eru Thazhuvuthal (hugging the bull).
The fact that English colonial administrators have also written about jallikattu tells us the sport was played continuously down the ages.
For the following account of the jellikattu or bull-baiting, which is practiced by the Maravans, I am indebted to a note by Mr. J. H. Nelson. “This,” he writes, “is a game worthy of a bold and free people, and it is to be regretted that certain Collectors (District Magistrates) should have discouraged it under the idea that it was somewhat dangerous.
The jellikattu is conducted in the following manner. On a certain day in the year, large crowds of people, chiefly males, assemble together in the morning in some extensive open space, the dry bed of a river perhaps, or of a tank (pond), and many of them may be seen leading ploughing bullocks, of which the sleek bodies and rather wicked eyes afford clear evidence of the extra diet they have received for some days in anticipation of the great event.
The owners of these animals soon begin to brag of their strength and speed, and to challenge all and any to catch and hold them; and in a short time one of the best beasts is selected to open the day’s proceedings. A new cloth is made fast round his horns, to be the prize of his captor, and he is then led out into the midst of the arena by his owner, and there left to himself surrounded by a throng of shouting and excited strangers.
Unaccustomed to this sort of treatment, and excited by the gestures of those who have undertaken to catch him, the bullock usually lowers his head at once, and charges wildly into the midst of the crowd, who nimbly run off on either side to make way for him. His speed being much greater than that of the men, he soon overtakes one of his enemies and makes at him to toss him savagely. Upon this the man drops on the sand like a stone, and the bullock, instead of goring him, leaps over his body, and rushes after another. The second man drops in his turn, and is passed like the first; and, after repeating this operation several times, the beast either succeeds in breaking the ring, and galloping off to his village, charging every person he meets on the way, or is at last caught and held by the most vigorous of his pursuers.
Strange as it may seem, the bullocks never by any chance toss or gore any one who throws himself down on their approach; and the only danger arises from their accidentally reaching unseen and unheard some one who remains standing.
After the first two or three animals have been let loose one after the other, two or three, or even half a dozen are let loose at a time, and the scene quickly becomes most exciting. The crowd sways violently to and fro in various directions in frantic efforts to escape being knocked over; the air is filled with shouts, screams, and laughter; and the bullocks thunder over the plain as fiercely as if blood and slaughter were their sole occupation. In this way perhaps two or three hundred animals are run in the course of a day, and, when all go home towards evening, a few cuts and bruises, borne with the utmost cheerfulness, are the only results of an amusement which requires great courage and agility on the part of the competitors for the prizes – that is for the cloths and other things tied to the bullocks’ horns – and not a little on the part of the mere bystanders. The only time I saw this sport (from a place of safety) I was highly delighted with the entertainment, and no accident occurred to mar my pleasure. One man indeed was slightly wounded in the buttock, but he was quite able to walk, and seemed to be as happy as his friends.”
(From Edgar Thurston, Castes & Tribes of Southern India,Vol 5.)
This is concrete evidence to prove that jallikattu has been part of the long heritage of the country. One strong characteristic of life in India is the persistence of certain social institutions, the origins of which are lost in pre-history. Though the profile of these practices change, they retain their essential features. Jallikattu is one such precious heritage that has been preserved over millennia and our duty is to take this forward. Of course we should have rules and restrictions for the conduct of the event but Jallikattu should go on.
There were 130 or so cattle breeds in India 100 years ago and now there are only 37. Unless we engage with the traditional livestock keepers and support them, we will lose these breeds as well as lay the ground for commercial cattle based dairies and slaughter houses to dominate the country
Tamil Nadu had six cattle breeds earlier and now we have lost the Alambadi breed. The remaining breeds are Kangayam, Pulikulam, Umbalachery, Barugur and Malai Maadu. There are a few more minor breeds without proper documentation or care. Most of these are on the verge of extinction. Each breed has evolved in perfect harmony with its local region. Kangayams fed on grasses in the calcium rich soil are the sturdiest animals and can pull up to 2.5 times their body weight with ease. Umbalacherys have shorter legs which make it easy for them to walk around in the water filled fields of the delta region. Barugurs in the hills of Erode district and Malai Maadus in Theni district are grazed in reserve forests and are adept at walking around in hilly terrain. The Pulikulam, found mostly in the region around Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramnad, Pudukottai and parts of Tiruchi district are herded in several hundreds and walk all day grazing before being penned for the night.
Native cattle have evolved over millennia, adapting to the local environmental conditions. They are an integral part of farming, especially for small and marginal farmers as they serve multiple purposes like ploughing, transportation, source for farmyard manure, organic treatments like panchagavya, jeevamritham, and as a source of A2 milk. The native cattle are both an input as well as insurance to the livestock keepers. In ancient Tamil and Sanskrit literature, cattle is considered as wealth. Cattle were measured as a unit of wealth. In the Tirukkural, education is considered to be wealth and the word used for wealth is madu, meaning cattle. So it has a socio-cultural connotation which denotes lives and livestock having co-existed and cultures having coined usages around them.
Pulikulam. Credit: ICAR
The Pulikulam is a semi-domesticated breed. The bulls are known to attack anyone except their owners. They are mainly grazed in reserve forest lands. Herders need to be able to tame them without ropes as the nose ropes are removed while grazing.
How does one tame a bull without ropes? If you try to tackle it from the front, it will toss you with its horns; if you try to catch it from the back, it will kick with its legs. It’s also very agile and can turn around in a split second. The only option is to approach it from the side and grab the hump.
Stud bulls are reared by people for jallikattu. The ones that win are much in demand for servicing the cows. Small farmers cannot afford to keep stud bulls, so each village has a common temple bull which services the cows of the village. Jallikattu is the show where bulls are brought and exhibited. The ones which are most agile (and virile) are preferred by farmers. The calves from such bulls are in demand.
The intricate connect between these events and farming can be seen from the chronological order in which showcase events like jallikattu happen first, then the shandies and then the main farming season starts. Once harvest is done, farmers take their bulls to participate in such events over the next few months; spectators and visitors make a note of the top bulls and seek them out in sandhais (cattle shandies/markets) which happen from December till April all over Tamil Nadu. The calves and bulls are bought for jallikattu and some of their offspring will be castrated and used as draught animals in transport/farming.
Stud bulls need to be alert, virile, and agile. In the peak of their reproductive period, they need to secrete the necessary male hormones and experience adrenalin rushes and pumping hearts. They need this for them to be virile. This is in the interest of the species as selective breeding is done to propagate the species. Stud bulls are used for jallikattu and mating only. Experienced bulls enjoy the situation and display a well thought out exit from the vaadi vaasal. Many of them show off by shaking their heads as a warning. This shows their familiarity with the Jallikattu event.
Many people who care for animals don’t understand that nature creates each species with unique characteristics and behaviour, and that within a species, a bull, an ox, a cow and calf all are different.
Male calves in other regions are sold and taken for slaughter in a few days. Only in regions where there are events like jallikattu are they kept. The owner of an imported cow will like it to deliver a female calf. If she does, it’s a windfall. If it’s a male calf then he will have no use for it and he has to feed it. It will go to the slaughter house for Rs. 500. A lot of mutton we eat is the meat of these under-one-week calves mixed with mutton. The same will happen to these native breeds if not for activities like jallikattu. With reduced availability of males, farmers will have to go in for artificial insemination, which is cost prohibitive and is directly in contravention of in-situ conservation. Unless there are bulls being bred and reared in the in-situ region, the genetic pool of the breed will not be healthy as no adaptation to changes in climate, local environment has been ingrained. We are messing with evolution when we abandon in-situ conservation with bulls and natural servicing/mating.
Native cows do not yield as much milk as the imported breeds. So they don’t have a supportive or sponsored breeding programme. Artificial means are not adopted for native breeds. So as a fall out of the banning of jallikattu, they will soon fade away and become extinct.
Death of a temple bull covers the village in a pall of gloom. The funeral is conducted with utmost respect with women mourning and village priests carrying out rituals.
Under article 48 of the constitution of India the state has to endeavour to preserve and improve the breeds and prevent slaughter of cows and calves and other draught and milk cattle. Hence the Union government has to intervene in this issue.
According to principles 1, 2 & 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which India is a signatory state, livestock keepers are creators of breeds and custodians of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture; livestock keepers and the sustainable use of traditional breeds are dependent on the conservation of their respective ecosystems; traditional breeds represent collective property, they are the products of indigenous knowledge and the cultural expression of livestock keepers.
There are two angles to the opposition.
First is the urban disconnect with rural India and all that it entails. Policies are made by city folk. Just as we destroyed the lakes of Chennai and suffered the consequences of ignoring the traditional knowledge of villagers in building and maintaining water bodies, we are allowing the same urban mindset to get away with rampant destruction of our livestock and farming. If we look at media reports over the last decade or so, every headline screams about injuries in a jallikattu event. The focus of the urban editors and reporters has always been on sensationalising news and grabbing eyeballs. Fed with this constant diet over a decade, it’s no surprise that so many internet warriors are shouting about jallikattu.
In a year, there are 10,000 instances of a bull leaving the vaadi vaasal (gate) during jallikattu. Of the thousands of players who take part, hardly 50-100 get injured in a year, and deaths are much much less.
The second group is the dairy lobby, which wants all native breeds to be eradicated. Events like jallikattu throw a spanner in their plans of creating commercial dairy farms with imported breeds just like in the West.
Beef exporters also benefit from a ban on jallikattu and other events. Farmers bring their cattle to be sold in weekly/monthly and annual shandies. Brokers will take the cattle from the farmers and hold them to be displayed to prospective buyers. Buyers fall into 3-4 categories: (1) The jallikattu enthusiast who will buy the bulls and male calves mostly; (2) Buyers of oxen for farming/transport; (3) Buyers of cows for breeding and household usage; (4) Beef traders who are mostly if not all agents of export companies and slaughter houses based in Kerala. They buy all cattle as they are only interested in meat.
When a ban on jallikattu is in place, the simple supply-demand equation gets skewed. There are no takers in the first category, which means the bulls will only sought by the fourth category i.e. beef traders. With no demand from jallikattu enthusiasts, the price of such prized bulls falls to rock bottom. By killing the market for bulls to be used in jallikattu, the animal rights activists are directly responsible for sending them to slaughter. There is a huge demand for Bos Indicus variety beef in the Gulf, Malaysia and Western countries. It is considered an exotic and healthy meat, just like country chicken.
The fist misconception is that jallikattu has anything in common with the Spanish bullfight. The two are very different. The sport in India is not about baiting or injuring the bull but of “embracing the bull”.
Does it harm the bull?
It is said that cruelty is meted out to animals by giving them alcohol, prodding and twisting their tails etc, that organisers beat the bulls, stuffing something pungent in their nostrils, confine them in a dark, suffocating place in order to enrage them.
The reality is different. Amidst all the regulations and scrutiny, which bull owner will risk giving alcohol to the bulls? Glucose water is given to them for stamina. Out of the 10,000 instances of bulls let out a year, the anti-jallikattu activists have produced images/videos of may be 7-8 bulls where an offence might have taken place. They have the power to identify the owner and take action against him under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Each bull is registered with the authorities, with photographs as well as the owner’s information.
Every rule has an exception. We regulate to curtail the exceptions, but not to end the sport. The approach of the activists from day one has been to end jallikattu at any cost.
Are there other means of conserving the breeds?
Each breed has evolved over several millennia and in a distinct way. One method of breed conservation will not work in another area, with another breed. Every place in the world where indigenous people have lived with their livestock, there are celebratory showcase events post-harvest like kambala buffalo water racing in the Dakshin Kannada region, Ongole stone pulling in central and coastal Andhra, rekla races in western Tamil Nadu and Theni, bailgada in Maharashtra with the Killari breed. Each event has evolved locally and has stood the test of time. In-situ conservation is the best method for conserving any breed. The lifetime and health of the species is extended only due to such events.
How is the game played?
Bulls are brought to the arena the previous day and tied in coconut groves around the village. Fodder is brought along and water is provided by the host villagers. Sometimes fodder is also provided. A team of veterinarians, animal welfare officials inspect the bulls and give a medical certificate. Before the event starts, they are lined up in batches of 15 close to the rear side of the vaadi vaasal.
A bull waits its turn at the gate to the Palamedu jallikattu in Madurai. Credit: Manu Manohar/Flickr CC 2.0
After the temple bull of the host village has left the arena, each bull is taken into the vaadi vaasal, where Animal Welfare officers are present. The nose rope of the bull is cut and the bull is free to run. Young bulls and untrained ones participating for the first few times hesitate to leave the vaadi and are prodded by their owners. It is not easy to move them as they weigh anywhere between 250-350 kilos. The experienced bulls (which have long memories) are familiar with jallikattu events and offer their head to the owners to cut the rope. They plan their exit from the vaadi vaasal and time their jump to avoid the players. These are intelligent animals and have evolved in this environment over millennia.
This bull cannot be caught as he has perfectly timed his jump to reach a height of 8-10 feet and will land a good 10-12 feet away from the vaadi vaasal. By the time he lands, he would have cleared most of the players. Credit: Special Arrangement
The sport consists of holding on to the hump of the bull and running along with it for a given distance usually about 20-30 meters which is covered in barely 10-20 seconds.
This bull used a different technique of charging while jumping. Notice how that has put fear into the players. with their eyes closed. Credit: Special Arrangement
Although a few hundred players are present in the arena, only 2-3 attempt to get close to the bull and only 1 has a shot at grabbing the hump. Everything happens so fast that most players hit the dirt and the bulls go free.
The bulls are not in fear, but the players are. Credit: Special Arrangement
After leaving the arena, they go to a barricaded collection area of about 44,000 sq. ft. where experienced herders await the owners. Owners follow the bulls from the vaadi into the collection arena, this takes about 5-10 minutes. Once they enter, the herders help the owners rope in the bulls and take them out of the collection arena. 1-2 bulls will refuse to be roped and charge at everyone, some of them jump out of the collection area and make a run for it. Most of them head in the direction of their villages. There is the occasional injury due to the bulls not being roped.
Under the Convention on Biological Diversity and heritage status practices worldwide, it is customary that these ancient traditional practices are left as they are but with rules to organise and regulate them.
If jallikattu is banned, livestock keepers will be forced to abandon the raising of native livestock, which already stands threatened due to the extensive use of motor pumps, tractors and mechanised agriculture. If the sport is banned, it would be the death knell of native cattle species in Tamil Nadu.
We will not only lose our breeds but also our self-sufficiency in milk production as well as promotion of organic farming. If we lose our breeds and import foreign breeds, multinational commercial companies will dominate the dairy industry in India. The livelihood of millions in rural India is at stake here.
People who want a ban on jallikattu are far removed from village life and do not know how this chain works.
The Supreme Court and the Government of India needs to look at the big picture behind jallikattu. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) supports traditional practices to keep the chain intact and thus enable conservation of native breeds. As an ancient nation with an ancient practice going back millennia, jallikattu should be preserved. There is no torture of any animal of any sort that takes place during the sport and the evidence of this can be seen from live media telecasts. The time a bull spends engaged in the sport is less than 30 seconds. If required, rules can be implemented to enhance the safety of the animals and men if required.
India has already lost many cattle breeds and it can’t afford to lose any more.
Himakiran Anugula is an organic farmer and entrepreneur based in Chennai. He is a trustee of SKCRF (www.kangayambu...om), an organisation working to conserve native breed cattle in Tamil Nadu.
In the past, bull-hugging (that’s what the sport was originally called) was not restricted only to the region now called Tamilnadu. It was celebrated throughout the Indus Valley. The cattle are an indispensable part of a pastoral community. They are celebrated and literally worshipped on the day of Maattu (Cattle) Pongal during the festival of harvest. It’s the day of thanksgiving based on the fact of how important cattle are for human survival.
The crops, the cattle and the human community formed a perfect ecosystem. After the industrialisation of various sectors including the agricultural sector (the very root of all resource depletion and environmental degradation) in our country, the cattle almost lost all their importance. There is a great deal of conspiracy behind the planned commercialisation and degradation of farming sector by the foreign companies. Their only motive is to replace all our traditional farming practices with their tools/equipments/methods and thereby making us all their economic slaves. They successfully impregnate the idea that our traditional practices of farming are not scientific and are off no good in food production. They make us all believe that everything our ancestors were doing was unscientific and therefore to be avoided. They have successfully got our urban educated class to buy into this false propaganda.
True education must have taken us closer to nature but what we see today is nothing but more and more alienation of man from nature. This is what makes the educated man (who has been fed to think that his own ideas are always more important than other people’s values and experiences) to conclude that those who live close to nature are inferior to him in knowing/understanding and therefore barbaric. Being close to nature, their understanding and actions will be certainly different from his own. But they are not in any way inferior. In fact, they are superior to him in matters of wisdom. But the educated man’s entire conditioning being to erroneously believe that knowledge (gained from logic) is more important than wisdom (resulting from direct experience), he takes a morally higher ground to condemn the lifestyle of the traditional man and force him to accept these new ideas. But what he does not understand is that whereas his knowledge has only given some cosmetic decoration to human life, it is the wisdom of the traditional man which is protecting the human race from dying.
“…it is medieval to identify a herd bull through an inefficient method like jallikattu.”
Nothing is far from the truth. It is only by such practices that the few indigenous breeds left are still being preserved. If not for Jallikattu, they would have been long gone. This being the case, I don’t understand how the author calls it inefficient.
Check this statement from the same article which proves that these villagers had a sound knowledge of breeding methods which resulted in superior varieties: “The 1928 Linlithgow Commission on Indian Agriculture names the Pattagarar of Palayankottai as an example of a breeder whose careful breeding had resulted in the Kangayam breed.” FYI, Kangeyam is the most superior of the five indigenous breeds still left in Tamilnadu. Do you think that these knowledgeable people would have approved of Jallikattu if it was really inefficient as the author says? Also be informed that it is a man from the above-mentioned region, Mr. Kartikeya Sivasenapathy (who manages the foundation working towards the preservation of Kangeyam breed) who is one of the forerunners of the protests against the ban on Jallikattu. Check their website here: http://www.kangayambull.com/about...tm
He clearly mentions that artificial insemination is not a viable method of preserving the diversity found within any single breed of cattle.
Don’t bring in Brazil and the like. They have developed their infrastructure required for preservation of cattle to a very great level. Once our govt. does that, we can think of giving up Jallikattu. Till then… 
I don’t get it. What is preventing you guys from pressurizing the government to install the required infrastructure and create the framework for the preservation of indigenous cattle? Wouldn’t that have been a far more effective means of protecting the indigenous breeds rather than forcing the government to enact legislation to allow the sport?
Why has the protest become so violent now? What is the ‘anti social elements’ that people are talking about?
This is funny, why are Police destroying and burning the vehicles?
The govt. itself might have instigated it because the protestors might have brought up other burning issues like the Cauvery as well. That would have been a big blow to the sand mafia etc. who thrive on it. Or to stop Coca Cola from sucking water from Tamiraparani river while hundreds of farmers are dying because of water scarcity for irrigation.
While Jallikattu affects corporations trying to take hold of dairy and farming industies in their entirety, these issues will affect those who already taken a hold here. So they introduced some antisocial elements into the crowd who helped the police in bringing the protest to an end. You think the powers at the centre (or state) would easily budge to all the demands of the public?
BTW, I don’t have time to check if anyone has debunked these photos. I’m sure you’ve done a lot of research, so it would be nice if you could point me in that direction:
http://www.firstpost.com/photos/jallikattu-less...
Ghanta research …ghanta debunking…Who has time for all that when one can conveniently say that these are just some “few” “odd” occurrences and that the guys who do this should be strictly punished. Cue some arguments about tradition and how you are just an urban educated elite who cant understand that jallikattu is a festival of love between a farmer and his bull. 
That’s the gist of every counter-argument that is being thrown around by the supporters.
@Magus
i dont see any of disadvantages of Artificial Insemination which u have mentioned.
have a look 
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/animal_husbandry/ani...
Artificial insemination is not merely a novel method of bringing about impregnation in females. Instead, it is a powerful tool mostly employed for livestock improvement. In artificial insemination the germplasm of the bulls of superior quality can be effectively utilized with the least regard for their location in far away places. By adoption of artificial insemination, there would be considerable reduction in both genital and non-genital diseases in the farm stock
ADVANTAGES OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION:
There are several advantages by artificial insemination over natural mating or servicing.
There is no need of maintenance of breeding bull for a herd; hence the cost of maintenance of breeding bull is saved.
It prevents the spread of certain diseases and sterility due to genital diseases.
Eg: contagious abortion, vibriosis.
By regular examination of semen after collection and frequent checking on fertility make early detection of interior males and better breeding efficiency is ensured.
The progeny testing can be done at an early age.
The semen of a desired size can be used even after the death of that particular sire.
The semen collected can be taken to the urban areas or rural areas for insemination.
7 It makes possible the mating of animals with great differences in size without injury to either of the animal.
It is helpful to inseminate the animals that are refuse to stands or accept the male at the time of oestrum.
It helps in maintaining the accurate breeding and cawing records.
It increases the rate of conception.
It helps in better record keeping.
Old, heavy and injured sires can be used.
Disadvantages of A.I:
Requires well-trained operations and special equipment.
Requires more time than natural services.
Necessitates the knowledge of the structure and function of reproduction on the part of operator.
Improper cleaning of instruments and in sanitary conditions may lead to lower fertility.
If the bull is not properly tested, the spreading of genital diseases will be increased.
Market for bulls will be reduced, while that for superior bull is increased.
i dont find any information regarding bad milk quality after artificial insemination,if u have any reliable source or data please inform us
Where did I link artificial insemination to bad milk quality?
The cost of the infrastructure required for artificial insemination is lesser than that of maintaining bulls?!
This is like what the great intellectual Subramanian Swamy said about the Cauvery issue – Why fight for water with Karnataka when you Tamils can make the sea water drinkable and use it? Wow! What an idea, sirji! Destroy naturally flowing rivers and spend a fortune on purifying sea water for consumption. Development!
No two men are alike. In the same way, no two bulls are alike. But in AI, only the semen of a few bulls which are deemed fit is used in breeding. In the long run, this destroys the diversity found among various bulls belonging to the same breed.
By this method, we are denying the cows the natural joy of mating with a male. Loving humans!
Issues like genital diseases can be curbed by careful observation and maintenance of cattle. It is not bad to listen to the wisdom of the farmers at least once in a while in this regard. 
Please google the benefits of in situ conservation. Nature did not blindly allow the evolution of a particular breed in a particular location.
Lastly, such technological expertise leaves the key to the survival of the species in a few hands. That’s very dangerous in a world filled with vested interests. We are already facing the perils of this convergence of power in other areas of human endeavor. Let’s leave at least this to farmers who are the rightful owners of the cattle. Generations to come will thank us if we take this wise step.
@Magus
Here’s one regarding A1 vs A2 milk:
https://scroll.in/article/827277/fact-check-for...
TL;DR:
The most conclusive report so far links A1 milk to poor digestion. For the rest, scientists are divided.
A1 milk is found largely in northern European breeds of cattle, while Asian and African breeds produce A2 milk. This production is determined by their genetic makeup. This is why even though it is cows that produce milk, the bulls of a particular breed are important in maintaining its production.
Whatsapp messages take particular care to note that the Jersey cow produces only A1 milk.
Studies abroad have found evidence of A1 milk in cattle breeds of Europe, such as Holstein and Friesian cows. These studies also conclude that Jersey cows produce mostly A2 milk.
I am surprised Magus has been carrying a thread this long without being locked. 
You are just jealous not surprised.
still no case is filed against police 
Police who killed 1 guy (even video is there) by lathi charge, and damaging houses of people, destroying private property and finally flaming the vehicles (yeah they fire the vehicle)
who is going to ask ? police commisioner replied “naxal activity is there” but truth is police done the Naxal activity in city.
not every media/video is true.
the police taking a student on his back and people says he is dead is the video but actually the guy is shown as alive in hospital in another photo.
people who share media should authencate and think several times before sharing it.
@magnus i dont understand the point of you in trying to convince so called intellectuals who might never been to tamilnadu and saw jallikattu and how farmers treat them but speak just based on medias/videos which are falsely pointed like the video in the peta web page.Exceptions are not examples.But kuddos for your indetail analysis on the jallikattu and let the #marinaprotest be an eyeopener for many issues happening across india..
@Magus
in AI, only the semen of a few bulls which are deemed fit is used in breeding. In the long run, this destroys the diversity found among various bulls belonging to the same breed
—
Advantage of AI:
Increased potential for genetic selection: Because artificial insemination allows males to produce more offspring, fewer males are needed. Therefore, one can choose only the few best males for use as parents, increasing the selection intensity. Furthermore, because males can have more offspring, their offspring can be used in a progeny test program to more accurately evaluate the genetic value of the male. Finally, individual farmers can use artificial insemination to increase the genetic pool with which his or her animals can be mated, potentially decreasing effects of inbreeding.
Disadvantage:
increasing the number of offspring per male has selective advantages only if the best males can be accurately determined. Otherwise this process only decreases the genetic variability in a population. Increasing the number of offspring per male always reduces the gene pool.
The benefits of more intense selection must be balanced against the negative effects of decreased variation
Issues like genital diseases can be curbed by careful observation and maintenance of cattle
What kind of observation ?
Advantages of AI:
Reduced disease transmission: Natural mating allows for the transfer of venereal diseases between males and females. Some pathogens can be transmitted in semen through artificial insemination, but the collection process allows for the screening of disease agents. Collected semen is also routinely checked for quality, which can help avoid problems associated with male infertility.
It prevents the spread of certain diseases and sterility due to genital diseases.
Eg: contagious abortion, vibriosis.
By regular examination of semen after collection and frequent checking on fertility make early detection of interior males and better breeding efficiency is ensured.
The progeny testing can be done at an early age.
such technological expertise leaves the key to the survival of the species in a few hands
two breeds in jallikattu are primarily draught breeds 
. Why is a dairy company targeting two draught breeds while ignoring others, especially the milch breeds?
This is not obvious,it may or may not be
let the scientific community come up with cost-effective, viable methods of breeding. Then we can re-examine the need for Jallikattu.
Advantages of AI:
There is no need of maintenance of breeding bull for a herd; hence the cost of maintenance of breeding bull is saved.
it is most cost efficient to naturally breed but govt can come to rescue,why not demand govt for infra. why lets-see attitude
However,it was not easy or cheap to rear a bull or cow of the native breeds that are used for jallikattu. These animals need a lot of care and are very expensive to maintain,cost escalates during drought 
wait,Jallikattu bull owners spend close to 300 a day for its upkeep,costly.
The very protest is to increase the number of native breeds through traditional practices
there are other means available these days to check for the virility and the strength of a mating bull.
Moreover, breeds like the majestic Kangeyem Kaalai are not anatomically suitable for jallikattu . These animals are inspected for their height, the size of the hump, the length and shape of the horns, the athleticism in their gait, and other such features. So, methods are indeed available that are effective yet simple to choose animals for selective breeding.
Many methods outweigh Jallikattu when u consider advantages,many ways to deal with their disadvantage.:-}
at Sametime,there are many disadvantages associated with Jallikattu 
.Jallikattu is by no means an indispensable method 
Nobody denies the fact that these things should be implemented. But we cannot stop Jallikattu until we successfully implement all these measures
So,u’re ready to stop Jallikattu if these measures are implemented even if it is part of culture . Why not fight for infra ?
Do animals bought for jallikattu are used for breeding ?
the animals bought for jallikattu were never used for breeding, he says. "The jallikattu bull is reared to be aggressive. It can often barely be controlled by its owner, and cannot be used for breeding. And the bulls picked up for breeding are not used for jallikattu“Calves for jallikattu are picked purely based on their build, appearance and other physical attributes and are prepared to aggressively perform on field. But, animals selected for breeding are chosen based on several criteria — the milk yield of the mother, her lactations etc,” says P Vivekanandan, secretary of Madurai-based Sustainable – Agriculture and Environment Voluntary Action (SEVA). The NGO has been working towards the conservation of agricultural biodiversity and local livestock breeds for two decades.
@ppap
“The benefits of more intense selection must be balanced against the negative effects of decreased variation.” – How?
“two breeds in jallikattu are primarily draught breeds. Why is a dairy company targeting two draught breeds while ignoring others, especially the milch breeds?” – Draught breeds do not mean that their cows will not yield any milk. Moreover, it’s not just the dairy industry which is after these cattle. The fertilizer and farming machinery industries too have a very big role to play. Why don’t you check books like “The Confessions of An Economic Hitman” to understand the politics behind the enslavement of third world economies by the so-called developed nations?
“So,u’re ready to stop Jallikattu if these measures are implemented even if it is part of culture?” – Certainly! Culture should never be a dead weight. It’s a dynamic thing. Seems like you guys concluded from the news channels that each one of us protested from the same point of view. We all support the same thing but for different reasons. For me, culture is the last reason to practise Jallikattu.
The reason is clearly there in the TOI article you mentioned: …the science of selection through karyotyping and gene mapping are fairly new, whereas farmers rearing jallikattu bulls for generations have based their selection purely on phenotypes — or gauging the animal by its observable characteristics. And 90 out of 100 times, they are right, say experts. “And this is where jallikattu as a breed conservation technique comes in,” says an official from the animal husbandry department.
What more do you need as proof?
I repeat. The power to create, protect and propagate life & nature should never be entrusted in the hands of a few select people (experts). It is always dangerous. If you think I’m a lunatic, then let it be so. You may understand the gravity of this assertion sometime. I just suggest that you keep your mind open when the opportunity arises.
@The Sniper Why do you even care to write all that? They are again going to brag about how all this is unconstitutional, unlawful, uncivilized, uncultured, unscientific, inhuman etc. All their ideas and arguments flow from certain preconceived notions:
*Our ancestors were all barbarians and their customs were all inhuman. They had no understanding of the world and their ideas were all unscientific and superstitious.
*The Tamils are a race of brutes who have no compassion for living things.
*Technological advancement is superior to traditional ways of living.
*Technology would always be put in the service of good by humans and would never be detrimental to environment and life.
*The developed countries have no negative role to play in the economic crises of third world countries. The poor remain poor because they do not know how to become rich.
*PeTA is really for ethical treatment of animals.
*AWBI is really for the welfare of animals.
*Supreme Court is always right because the boss is always right.
*The media report everything as it happens.
*One who opposes such practices is morally and intellectually superior to those who support it. 
Cmon man….let the adults handle the discussion . I feel @The Sniper ‘s arguments a bit more reasonable as he, in one of his earlier posts said that he didn’t want to use tradition as a crutch while arguing for Jallikattu.
Just checked this post by PeTA: http://www.petaindia.com/blog/16-bizarre-myths-...
I think they have confused the horrors of the dairy industry with the traditional events like Jallikattu. Looking at how men torture those animals, they have concluded that this is how the farmers must be treating the bulls and cows in their backyard every day of their life. (Unfortunately, they got videos of some dumbos who didn’t care for the true spirit of the event and were only interested in winning at the cost of the bull’s’ well-being.) Now that’s what is called “a leap of blind faith”.
I suggest these half-baked PeTA brains to go and stay with these farmers for a month or two to know what really happens in their backyards. I’ve been to villages. My relatives themselves rear cattle and sell milk around their village. A cow is not an animal for them, it’s their goddess. They call it Lakshmi. Some people get too attached to their cattle that they won’t send them to slaughter-houses even after they stop to be of any monetary value. They go to the extent of erecting tombs for their special bulls and cows to worship them as their gods and goddesses.
When those half-bakes witness all that, they will know what true love for animals is. This is just a matter of gross misunderstanding, then. LOL!
P.S.: Show one such dairy industry video to a farmer and he will cry blood.
Watching the Republic Day “celebrations”. Either the horses and the camels volunteered for enrollment in the Indian defence forces or the nation as a whole is barbaric to employ animals in such affairs.
The very first contingent (horse) is marching with the motto: “Horse Power Ever Supreme!” LOL! Horse power in this age of technology! Barbarous! Primitive! Uncivilized!
In pic: Indian Army soldiers offload a 120mm Brandt Mortar from horses for a firing display during Exercise Sarvatra Prahar at the School of Artillery in Devlali, in the Nasik district of western Maharashtra state, some 190 kms north-east of Mumbai on January 11, 2016.
I see the horse launched it’s own projectile
@Magus
Why only a few events? You mean to say even the government itself does not have the resources to capture the entire events?
If it has the resources, that’s awesome. More reasons to show that all events have cruelty. But most likely, it’ll be a single committee(or a couple of them) making surprise checks at random events. But hey, whats to worry as long as there are jallikattu foundations members in it, right? They’ll make sure that the evidence provided is not a “bad apples” one. As I said, the committees come into picture after the court reconsiders its standpoint and for that…maybe a counter-evidence should exist in the first place.
Bulls jumping into wells, running into an ambulance. How does that make the event “inherently” cruel?
Ever wondered what made the bulls jump and run uncontrollably? To quote the SC bench again…If the regulations are followed strictly the bulls would walk not run.
Horses cannot be removed from the list of performing animals? Why? Did they volunteer themselves to perform?
Bulls are not anatomically fit for this? I don’t know which veterinarian made the judges buy into this ridiculous report. They should only let a bull lose and face it
Did you even read the judgement report reg the subject or is this the ‘Rajnikanth punchline paragraph’ part of your argument that I should choose to ignore
Hopefully, the court/govt. constitutes such a committe for inspection, having people from both leagues and giving them equal opportunity for representation.
Ever wondered how a batsman died in the cricket field? That’s because the ball hit him at the speed of 150km/hr, not because he didn’t wear a helmet. This clearly shows that the sport is “inherently” cruel. Ban cricket, barbarians! Playing with wood and cork in the age of technology! Morons! If the countrymen say, it is dear to us, we cannot do away with it, I suggest this regulation to ensure zero injury: The ball must never get off the ground – the bowler rolls it towards the batsman, the batsman hits it the same way towards the boundary and the fielder rolls it back to the wicket. No sixes or catches possible. The only possible outcomes are: singles, doubles, fours, bowled, stumped, run out, lbw by hitting the shoes. Wow! No more injuries or accidents. Even imagining the game and the number of lives that would be saved gives me goosebumps. Yay! What a life of compassion for living beings! Halleluja!
Well, you may choose to ignore the entire argument. As I have already said, it’s your right to disagree.
@Magus
I’m saying that accidents happen there just as they happen here
That is a wide generalisation. ‘Accidents’ happen but when you compare two parties and only one of them has no choice but to be involved in the ‘accident’, then its not a fair comparison. And anyways, one side believes they are ‘accidents’ and the other has proof that they are inherent…and we did come to the conclusion that provided there’s counter-evidence, hopefully the SC would constitute committees and investigate deeper. You should’ve ended this at that…not go on to make an unfair comparison and try to make a point.
Moreover, can I inflict pain on a human being, let’s say a masochist, if he is willing?
Yeah, why not…if he’s willing to take that from you . Wonder why I never made a case for the people getting killed/injured while participating in jallikattu? Because they made a conscious decision to be involved in it.
You ignore everything related to the event, how it is just one link in a big chain of events and keep repeating the “cruelty” propaganda
Because the issue is solely cruelty. Jallikattu was banned only because of inherent cruelty….and when you deny cruelty there’s no need to discuss or argue about the big chain of events. Only when you accept cruelty can a case be made for the big chain of events.
They give their cattle names, cuddle them, play with them, build tombs for them when they are gone. You have not seen any of it in person and also do not want to listen to one who has been there. If that is not being stubborn, then what else is
That’s not being stubborn…that’s being focused on the core problem of the issue and trying to solve it objectively making all the parties involved to focus on it…instead of meandering into irrelevant subtexts and anecdotal evidences ending up in a deadlock.
A few of them misbehaving to win some money out of this sport makes you label all of them barbarians? Aren’t they human beings too?If you are not ready for that and want to keep repeating the words “inherent cruelty” and “barbarism”, go ahead with it.
‘A few’? That is where both the sides differ…and we’ve established a solution just 2 posts back and you go back to square one again. I’m open to being disproved …which is the reason why I look for a solution, a common meeting ground. On the other hand you keep on going about how its only a few odd occurrences and sidestep the argument because you are not here to convince the other side and understand what they have to say and work out a solution…You are just here to make a point that you are on the right side. That is the reason I find your arguments lacking in logic, reason and objectivity.
You mean the constitution allows killing someone if he is willing to be killed?
You have not said anything about the way I defined cruelty.
I dare not venture into the murky waters of suicide and euthanasia, as it is a different topic altogether which involves ending a human’s life and us being social animals having inter-dependencies with other people…but boxing is a sport where 2 willing individuals are open to be subjected to pain…BDSM is an activity involving 2 willing individuals and lots of pain.
Inflicting pain with the intention of being detrimental to a living being’s life is what cruelty is
^ Thats what I have to say. The side inflicting the pain doesn’t get to liberalise the definition of cruelty based on its beliefs.
I have next to zero knowledge about the subject and it looks like too much work to get acquainted with it. So I am going to write my general opinion. And I declare beforehand that I am nature and animal lover.
Humans domesticated(fancy for enslavement) animals and used them for their own benefit. Nature made it that way, I don’t blame anyone. Whether humans kill and eat them or use them for other purposes it’s how nature intended. Killing animal for food isn’t cruelty IMO, every animal eats the smaller/weak ones. I guess even Darwin agrees on that. Cruelty is when one hurts the animal with intention to cause it pain may or may not deriving pleasure from the act. But, the later part has been developed into sport or such among all societies. Some animal sports like horse racing as we all know is well regulated and the animals are taken great care and not hurt for sake of pleasure. I don’t know what goes on in Jallikattu but if it doesn’t has anything to do with hurting the animals then Gov can regulate it just like horse racing so both the parties would be happy.
Jallikattu is being conducted at a few places in TN today. Tamil news channels are broadcasting them live. The vaadi vaasal (entry point) is being shown clearly. Nobody is biting their tails, poking them with weapons, blah blah, still the bulls fiercely run out of the enclosure. Which dumbo reported to the judges that they would only walk if they were not subjected to violent provocations?
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if anyone hurt with my previous comments,i offer my apologies to all of them. it was not my intention to hurt anyone.
also i have learnt many ideas(purely educational) from this healthy discussion and thanks to all those who have participated. many ideas have been exchanged here,as part of discussion.
As Jallikattu is part of tradition & culture and people supports it, so they need it