Tamil Nadu's bull-taming hub decks up for season's first game

MADURAI: With the ordinance to lift the ban on jallikattu said to be in the pipeline, people in Alanganallur, where the season's first game is usually held, are all set to host it. Madurai district collector K Veera Raghava Rao inspected the village on Friday in what was seen as the first move to prepare for the game.
Located 18 kilometres away , Alanganallur is where Madurai district's green blanket starts as the city roads make way for lush paddy fields and sugarcane.Even five years ago, almost every house in this town had a game bull, if not a cow. “Even people who were not economically well off had a cow which would help them tide over tough times,'' said Pandian, a villager. After the ban was imposed on jallikattu three years ago, many homes found it difficult to maintain the bulls, which were given away or sold off. “Even last year, many people gave the bulls to a gosala in Coimbatore which came forward to take good care of the animals,'' he said.
Now with the protests gaining momentum and success very much on the cards, many bull owners are elated.G Renuka Eawari, who has two game bulls, says her `champions' are ready to enter the arena even on Saturday . “We maintain them well throughout the year and they are ready to show their talent at the word go. We give them special diets every day as the most healthy among the calves are always picked up,'' she said. Hers is a family which has been maintaining game bulls for years. ``I am waiting for the green signal'' she said.
The people of the village say they would definitely have to comply with some rules like covering the ground with coconut husk, constructing bamboo barricades and setting up a gallery.Kumaran, a villager, says that they are ready to work through the night to construct the barricades and help the district administration with all the work if the game gets the nod.