Jallikattu bull owner honours animal with memorial on 1st death anniversary

Trichy: ‘Sengurichi Sevalai', a familiar jallikattu bull in all Trichy events, which died last year, has been honoured with a memorial by its owners on its first death anniversary, reflecting their deep affection for the animal.M Subramani, 47, the owner, said that he purchased Sengurichi Sevalai, a ‘Pulikulam' breed bull from Pudukottai, nine years ago."We treated the bull like a family member. It brought us immense pride over the years. That is why we decided to build a memorial with a statue at its resting place as a lasting tribute to our love and affection," said Subramani. The bull participated in more than 50 jallikattu events and emerged victorious in nearly all of them. Subramani said the calf grew into a powerful, sturdy bull with an imposing presence after two years and described it as a formidable challenge for tamers in the arena. Him and his brothers Shanmugam, 39, Elaiyaraja, 36, and Rajiv, 32, belong to a family that has been raising jallikattu bulls for generations. The family currently maintains five bulls of various jallikattu breeds, which they release in events across the state. "Sevalai remains our favourite. That is why we built the memorial only for him," said S Pugazh, Subramani's son.The memorial was inaugurated with special poojas and rituals. Villagers and relatives turned out in large numbers to pay their respects to the bull."Jallikattu is the tradition and pride of Tamils. Building memorials for heroic bulls like Sevalai highlights their sacrifices and the owners' profound affection," P Rajasekar, state president of the Tamil Nadu jallikattu association, said. He had previously erected a memorial for his bull 'Appu' about 10 years ago.