This Article is From Jan 22, 2017

Jallikattu Supporters Prep For Celebrations Following Governor's Green Signal

Edwin Prabhu, attributing the "success" of such an ordinance to the steely resolve of the youth.

Chennai: As Tamil Nadu prepares to celebrate the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu today following Governor C Vidyasagar Rao's approval of a state government ordinance, Tamilians are finally moving towards seeing their demands met.

"All credit to the students," says 27-year-old musician Edwin Prabhu, attributing the "success" of such an ordinance to the steely resolve of the youth.

"I have never seen a protest of this scale. Strangers are coming and hugging, buying me food and water. You can see the Tamil spirit in each and every one of them," adds Mr Prabhu, who has been performing at the famous Marina Beach in Chennai for the last three days with his band 'Tamizhan'.

"I am very proud. In the city, because many people are modern, they were earlier unaware of the practice. But this has now changed with many IT professionals participating to safeguard this sport of bravery and valour. This used to happen only in villages. We want it to happen in Chennai," says Baraa, a transgender Bharatnatyam dancer.

However, despite the ordinance, many protesters refer to this agitation as a rolling stone and they are not ready to stop until a permanent resolution is drafted and the bull-taming traditional sport of Jallikattu - which they say is a celebration of man-animal bonding - is celebrated with pomp and vigour throughout the state. Animal rights activists and groups, however, claim that bulls are subjected to pain and trauma in order to provoke it for a fierce competition

Thousands of people, including students, have been protesting in many parts of Tamil Nadu supporting the traditional, bull-taming sport of Jallikattu. The students also ensured that the demonstrations are civilised and apolitical.
.