Jallikattu and gho-rakshanam go hand-in-hand – we need to discuss about this 🙂
Jallikattu protest is taking a different dimension in TN today. Entire country is jolted with the protestors’ unity, determination and it all feels good. We are so pumped up with this protest for only one reason that we are starting to realize – our people are starting to ignore political parties to raise their concerns and dealing directly with the public and the people who are impacted. How? Two examples – Flood in 2015 and this one too. They never cared about the government, they stand united, they are not motivated by any political parties and anyone – they are doing on their own. We need this part of our DNA in the future as we, the people, should control what we get as our rights and not beg the government for everything.
If we see this from PEriyava’s views, He is always for maintaining our culture, our parambaryam in every place. He has spoken in volumes about these two topics on why it is important to do so etc. From that perspective, I, personally support removing the ban on jallikattu.
From the cruelty perspective, I have heard stories about some level of abuse happens during those jallikattu days – not sure. Even if that happens, it is better than slaughtering – at least that is how I view this. So, in my personal opinion, it is tolerable. Look at this video – that boy says that the bull is their family member. My only question to him and all those supporters of jallikattu is “why do you support selling your family member for slaughtering? Isn’t it your duty to support them till they die or give them to a place where they will be supported?” These youngsters should think what their real ask is. To me, their ask is to remove the ban – that’s it. If they think beyond that, Periyava will be happy.
PETA – in this case, is going after a wrong target. If they are genuinely interested in saving animals from abuse, they should work with the center to shutdown all slaughterhouses. They should go to Spain and stop bullfight where cows are killed at the end of the show; go to Brazil and shut down the world’s largest slaughterhouse. PETA in my personal opinion has been pushing lots and lots of Americans to become vegan – they helped several circus and sea worlds to stop certain cruelty shows etc. Here in this case, PETA seems to be having an hidden agenda (in partnership with multi-national companies) and pushing this ban, which is quite condemnable. Eliminating native cows should not be their agenda – we should not let that project succeed.
The systematic eradication of native cows have been happening since Nehru days – today we have very very little % of native cows. We want to increase their population in the next 10-15 years to a significant number that our next generation is benefitted with the utmost healthier milk and milk products and all abishekams to swamis in the future are done out of native cows. I am glad that people at least start to realize the benefits of native cows. The problem is that about 90% of these protestors will forget the whole issue once the ban is removed and there would be no one to support the larger cause. I want these youngsters to continue their fight against the ban AND extend their fight against cow slaughtering too. All these fights are meaningless if the cows are not saved.
May Kanchi Mahaswami give them all the energy and motivation to support this.
Our namaskaram to ghomata and Mahaswami
Hara Hara Sankara Jaya Jaya Sankara!
