Appealing to tradition in a country like India can
be dangerous, says Rajyasree Sen. And so it is
proving in Tamil Nadu, where students, media folk
and celebrities have been furiously protesting a
recent court ban on jallikattu – the sport in which
young men run with a stampeding bull and try to
bring it to a stop. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has now rushed to placate them by overturning the
ban. But why should the degrading spectacle of a
mob pulling the ears and tail of a terrified animal
be reprieved just because it’s a Tamil tradition?
Dowry, marital rape and honour killings are also
Indian traditions: does that make them acceptable?
Besides, this isn’t just about sport, it’s about
reinforcing the old patriarchal and caste system – jallikattu is practised only by upper-caste men. In
scrapping the ban Modi may have won new votes, but only at the cost of reinforcing old prejudices.
