All set for taming sport from today
N Vinoth, tamer from Veerapandi village said he has been eagerly waiting to get tokens to participate in Alanganallur event, where more bulls and tamers were registered
A bull swims in Madakulam kanmoi as part of training in Madurai ahead of jallikattu
MADURAI: At the onset of Pongal festival the bulls and tamers are ready to compete on ground from Monday (January 15) in intense jallikattu events traditionally associated with the harvest festival.
S Karuppusamy, bull owner and tamer from Palanganatham, bubbling with enthusiasm, eager and excited to excel in the sport, was busy making his bull swim in Madakulam kanmoi, one of the biggest in Madurai, as part of a training exercise.
His bull named ‘Chinnarasu’ swims two mornings a week for 45 minutes at a time to increase its general health and fitness. “I also take the bull for a five km walk daily for almost six months now,” Karuppusamy said on Saturday, adding that a batch of 20 to 30 tamers made repeated attempts to catch hold the bull’s hump in a demo.
However, there is tremendous uncertainty about getting tokens for which registrations made online to participate in the jallikattu events in Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur. Further, Karuppusamy alleged that some of those engaged in scrutinizing records of the online registry for the issue of participation tokens were demanding Rs 5,000 for the issuance and it’s very unfortunate.
N Vinoth, tamer from Veerapandi village said he has been eagerly waiting to get tokens to participate in Alanganallur event, where more bulls and tamers were registered. Even entering the contest itself is a tough task, now.