Thousands descend on Godavari villages in AP for Sankranti cockfights

PEDAMIRAM (Andhra Pradesh): Thousands of punters and spectators descended upon several villages in the Godavari districts and others in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday to gamble crores of rupees in the annual Sankranti cockfight extravaganza.

At Pedamiram village near Bhimavaram in West Godavari district, fleets of cars rolled in from various states, including some festival celebrants turning up from overseas to gamble.

"I came from Shamirpet village near Hyderabad. Every year I come to Bhimavaram for Sankranti to watch cockfights. Some of my friends engage in gambling," M Prabhu (27) from Telangana told PTI.

Prabhu was posing for photographs at a Sankranti-themed selfie point beside a large white tent where the roosters armed with sharp knives fastened to their feet are competing in the bloody sport.

Large flex posters of local ruling party leader P V L Narasimha Raju welcomed the crowds to the venue.

Carrying wads of cash in bags, punters placed bets on their chosen roosters, which were well fed and trained for months together in the run-up to the Sankranti festivities.

Besides the main punters who are inside the ring, a large number of spectators also gamble with their fellow spectators who watch the contests live on LED screens outside, arranged by the organisers for their convenience.

A a few metres away from the cockfight ring, another white tent has been pitched, where a large number of gambling enthusiasts from Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana are engaging in different forms of poker.

Seating arrangements for more than 1,000 gamblers, a cash counting machine and card-swiping machines have been arranged to facilitate poker. Breakfast and a non-vegetarian buffet for lunch have also been arranged.

Not only cockfights and poker but also a few other formats of gambling, including board games, see brisk activity.

Similarly, half a kilometre away from this venue on the other side of Juvvalapalem road, a smaller cockfight arrangement has been made, which is also hosting a few other gambling activities such as ‘gundu aata’ (board game) and others.

Though the majority of the participants are men, a few women, children and families also showed up at the cockfights as part of Sankranti celebrations.

The cockfights and gambling are expected to last for three days until the end of the festival not only in Godavari districts but also a few others such as Krishna, NTR and others.