A friendly embrace or a dangerous pounce on the holy cow?
Mine is one of the few lonely voices in Tamilnadu who think animal rights stand above the cultural arguments in Jallikattu case in Tamilnadu. I have watched Jallikattu only through my television set. However, I understand village economy and the importance of cows and bulls in the Tamilnadu villages. I believe that if (and only if) Jallikattu is the only way our cows can survive as argued by a section of experts, it has to be held with greater restrictions. In such case where there is no other alternative (such as creating sanctuaries) to protect the breed, Jallikattu would be considered a bitter medicine to keep the rare breed sustain. It is a bitter medicine because the torture to the poor animal is visible even from the television sets. Yes, even drinking cow’s milk and eating beef can also be torturous to animals. But milk and in some cases beef has become a strong part of Indian diet and can be altered only by persuasion or providing the right supply alternatives. However, Jallikattu is just a cultural sport. Culture stands a weaker argument compared to preservation of native breed put forth by many in the support of Jallikattu. However, if the breed can be preserved naturally even in the absence of Jallikattu, we must move forward in that direction.
While it is heartening happy to watch such student protest after 1965 anti-Hindi imposition agitation and respect their spirit and the support for farmers who also want Jallikattu to happen, it is sad to hear the arguments put forth by some of the protesters. Many had the picture of the LTTE terrorist, Velupillai Prabhakaran. They, unfortunately, have turned their anger wrongly towards animal welfare organizations with whom farmers have to effectively deal with and find a solution to the burning issue. Animal welfare board of India just did their duty produced the evidence of animal torture after the restrictions were put in place by the honourable Supreme Court.
The protesters have also pointed their fingers at Kerala and Karnataka, which had failed to honour Supreme Court judgements on river water disputes and asked their governments to circumvent the law. This is like pointing at people who escaped the law and therefore suggesting that laws can be disobeyed. Tamilnadu has always known to be a peace-loving and law-abiding state. Yes, injustice was meted out by our neighbouring states. But the solutions do not lie in disrespecting the law. For instance, In a strong-worded judgement, Kerala was asked to raise the dam water level to 142 feet. Similarly, TN will get justice for Cauvery issue as well through the formation of the Cauvery Management Board. Hon'ble Supreme Court’s wisdom encompasses justice not just for every citizen but for animals in the country. Our constitutional duty is to abide by it at any cost.
Finally, I think making Jallikattu an emotional issue will never work. The advocates representing TN Government have already argued in that direction and dropped culture as an argument which they understood is a weak argument. Scientific arguments must be produced to the supreme court and people must abide by the rule of law even if it is banned completely.
P.S. My opinions changed. On 21-06-2020, I felt that I was so apologetic to Jallikattu (this was written during Jallikattu protest (was I scared to speak strongly against Jallikattu?). Now I completely believe that Jallikattu is totally unnecessary.