A writeup in a story cum information form on the indigenous sport of India-Jallikattu, written by our student Ashmita Ray.

Ashmita is 10 years old young performer & speaker from UAE. Performance is her passion. We are proud to have her as a student of the Little Kathakar Program, an Online Public Speaking through Applied Storytelling & Theatre Program under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Ashmita for this exemplary true self-expression.

Jallikattu-An Indigenous Indian Sport

Mini couldn’t sleep.

Everyone in the house, and the village, was fast asleep, but not Mini. She was still lying awake in her bed at midnight. The moon was peeking from behind the curtains like a sneaky child and releasing a small streak of moonlight that cut the air like a silver blade. The air was there like a dead silence, and everything was dark except the moonlight. Mini was still lying awake and the story her grandmother told her that night replayed inside her head a thousand times. Today was the 14^th of January and she was excited for tomorrow as it was a special day. It was Pongal. Her grandma told her a story about a sport that is played on the 3^rd day of Pongal. It goes like this-

Every night, at bedtime, her grandma would tell her a story about India’s glorious history. Some nights, it would be the time for British rule, other nights, her grandma would tell her all about India’s historical ruins and the folklore behind them. They would watch pujas, ceremonial processions, wars, and battles without leaving the safety of their beds.

Today, during bedtime, grandma said, “Today, I will tell you the story of Jallikattu, the game played during the third day of Pongal”.

“I would love to hear it Dadiji. Please continue.” Said Mini

“Jallikattu was common during the Tamil classical period, around 400-100 BCE. It was mentioned in Sangam literature and was popular among warriors. It is also related to the Indian mythological stories and mentioned in the Bhagavat Gita, Where Shri Krishna Split himself into 7 parts and easily subdued 7 bulls not only to playfully defeat the seven bulls but also to show Princess Satya that she would not have to compete with his other queens, since he could be with all of them simultaneously at the same time. It is a popular sport in Tamil Nadu. There are many famous players of Jallikattu such as Modakathan Mani and many more. There are around 150 players in the game, players must hold on to the bull’s hump for 30 seconds and try to make the bull stop. In some variations, they attempt to untie a pouch filled with coins and tie it to the bull’s horns. Players are disqualified if they hold on to the bull’s neck, horns, or tail.”

“But Dadiji, doesn’t it mean cruelty to animals?” Mini asked.

“Yes, I quite agree, but since stricter rules have been imposed in this sport, not much cruelty is done to animals. In the 1990s, there were around one million bulls but now, it has been reduced to 15000. But it is still played in Tamil Nadu as it was an ancient tradition that goes back thousands of years back” said Grandma. Grandma suddenly stopped narrating the story and requested mini to sleep.

Mini was extremely excited for Pongal. Suddenly, her eyes began to droop. It felt as if a ton of bricks were weighing down her eyelids. Mini rolled over and went to sleep, dreaming about Pongal and all the fun she would have tomorrow…….

“This was an attempt from my side to share a short glimpse of the indigenous sport of Jallikattu. Hope you enjoyed the information in story form.”-Ashmita

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