Dharmendra Jore: Expect Jallikattu to have aftereffects elsewhere too

Do you find similarities between Tamil Nadu's Jallikattu and Maharashtra's bullock cart race, or even dahi handi and snake festival? Many have started comparing them - both are popular traditional sporting events with religious undertones - especially after a political intervention has come into force to lift a ban on Jallikattu. The events in Maharashtra face legal hurdles too. Dahi handi is permitted with strict regulations, but the SC banned bullock cart racing around the same time that Jallikattu was banned in TN.

Supporters of bullock cart racing, which involves animals, and hence faces the ire of animal lovers, find resonance with the Tamilian pride that was on display on Chennai's Marina Beach and elsewhere in the country where Tamilians have a significant presence. A human chain was formed in support of Jallikattu in Chembur. Tamilian celebrities, sport stars and artistes also took up the cause in a big way. The state and Centre gave in to the pressure and passed an ordinance that is awaiting the President's nod. The state is now bullish and the people there will play Jallikattu with a renewed vigour.

Governments shaken
The fervour of the Jallikattu protest reminded of a public agitation that ensured justice for Nirbhaya. We saw apolitical professionals, students and homemakers forcing governments in Chennai and New Delhi to take on the Apex Court and ensuring a decision in their favour. The intentions of decision-seekers in Jallikattu and the Nirbhaya rape can be debated, but the comparison seeks to highlight the collective effort that goes into shaking governments.

On the other hand, the ordinance allowing Jallikattu has made activists, who fight on the ground and in courts to prevent cruelty against animals, cast doubts on the system that is run by politicians. In coming days, they will be at loggerheads with other TN-like protests in places where traditional sport faces a ban or is subjected to regulations that do not allow organisers a free run.

Maha leads the charge
Maharashtra is expected to lead this anti-activist movement soon enough. Unlike TN, a political party - Shiv Sena - has already entered the cage with a warning that it will stage protests to get a government approval for bullock cart racing, on the grounds that the traditional sport carries the same sentiments that Jallikattu carried. And if the SC does not bring bullock cart racing back, then they, too, will throng to the streets as soon as the annual budget is over, says the Sena.

The SC banned bullock cart races in 2014, alongside Jallikattu. The court had upheld a July 11, 2011, notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests that banned exhibition or training of bulls as performing animals. It also directed states, Centre and the Animal Welfare Board of India to take steps to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals.

Bullock cart race organisers in Maharashtra have since been arguing that it's a centuries-old tradition. In some parts of the state, the sport is known as Shankarpat. Apart from Maharashtra, these races have been common to the culture in TN, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat. Considering the vast expanse of the tradition, the governments would be under tremendous pressure if these states manage a Jallikattu-like protest.

To complicate matters further, a particular precinct in Western Maharashtra has been up in arms against a court ruling that has banned the snake festival that has become synonymous with a small village called Battishi Shirala. On the Nag Panchami day, villagers worship live snakes that are not defanged. Thousands of devotees and curious tourists attend the festival. However, animal lovers accuse the villagers of inflicting cruelty on hapless serpents captured from nearby forests many days before the festival and stored in unnatural habitats, like plastic bottles, cane baskets, clay pots or gunny bags. They are fed milk, which is not their natural food, allege activists, even as they face a hostile pro-festival people. Persons in the know of sentiments say the Jallikattu episode would encourage locals to attempt getting the ban lifted.

Why not dahi handi?
Mumbai and Thane have its own problems when it comes to tradition and culture. The dahi handi festival, in which a towering human pyramid is set in a life-threatening manner, has been brought under the legal ambit. Regulations restrict pyramids to a certain height, and do not allow children to participate. The preventive measures were taken to avoid fatalities and secure precious lives.

But inspired by the Jallikattu ordinance, the dahi handi organisers, who are repeatedly accused of commercialising a traditional sport for political gains, are said to be gearing up to organise and get the regulations lifted. Expect the Sena to lead from the front in this movement as well, because there would be no better issue than this to challenge its favourite frenemy - the BJP.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com