Pudukottai bull Ravanan rules jalikattu events

TRICHY: Ravanan, an eight-year-old jallikattu bull, from Pudukottai district has become a nightmare for bull tamers after its undefeated run in the recently-held jallikattu events at Avaniyapuram and Alanganallur.
Social media platforms are flooded with the video footages of Ravanan raiding the jallikattu arena after entering through the vadivasal as it finds only a few tamers on the ground.As Ravanan charges, bull tamers climb up on the metal grills to escape from its onslaught.
“Only a few bulls will go on a rampage chasing bull tamers in any jallikattu event. Most of the bulls run out of the arena if not tamed. Ravanan was unstoppable and majority of the bull tamers who kept away from Ravanan says he is so ferocious,” said S Anand, 40, a spectator at the Avaniyapuram jallikattu.
Ravanan was untamed in both Avaniyapuram and Alanganallur jallikattu events. It was also adjudged the best bull in Avaniyapuram and bagged certificate, trophy and few other prizes. In Alanganallur, it came second and received a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
P Anuradha, the owner of the bull who is a weightlifting champion and police sub-inspector in Pudukottai district, said that she expected that the bull would go untamed but never thought that it would become so popular.
The malai madu breed bull was gifted to her by a friend from Thanjavur after she won her first international medal last year.
This is the first season that Ravanan was taken to Jallikattu event. She said that there wasn’t any special treatment or training given to the bull. Ravanan will continue to take part in the upcoming jallikattu events as well, she said.
His brother P Marimuthu, 33, farmer in Nemmeli Patti village in Pudukottai district, said that except for cotton seeds, we do not give any special food to our bulls.
It is left to graze on our land apart from occasional swimming in the nearby lake, he said. He owes eight such bulls; one among them is named Asuran, which will be entering the jallikattu events soon.