Maiden event a real day out for Lankan Tamils
An untamed bull of the Sentharai breed secured the first prize of LKR 1 lakh cash reward.
Jallikattu event at Sampoor in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka on Saturday
TIRUCHY: The first-ever jallikattu in Sri Lanka on Saturday became a gala affair in the island nation, where in SL Tamil tamers joined those from various districts of Tamil Nadu to view for the crown with as many as 275 bulls of native breed. An untamed bull of the Sentharai breed secured the first prize of LKR 1 lakh cash reward.
“It was indeed awe-inspiring and the Sri Lankan Tamil brethren really had a day out on Saturday. We were astonished at how the spectators reacted to each round,” said T Ondiraj, president of Jallikattu Pathukappu Nala Sangam who took around 95 persons to Sri Lanka upon the invitation by the Eastern Province Governor Senthil Thondaman.
Ondiraj said he had visited Sampoor in Trincomalee district in Sri Lanka a week back, invited the bull owners in Sri Lanka with a traditional thamboolam, and inspected the arrangements. “There were 275 bulls found to be fit for the event, and we followed all the regulations followed in Tamil Nadu and could conduct the event without any problem. We distributed tokens to the tamers and the bull owners conducted a medical assessment by teams of doctors and veterinarians and stationed ambulances for first aid. Medical teams were also present for treatment,” he said.
Jallikattu started at around 11.30 am and there were three batches with 40 tamers each, all provided with uniforms. Governor Senthil Thondaman, Malaysian MP Saravanan Murugan, and Ondraj flagged off the event.
“It was surprising that the tamers from Sri Lanka had learnt all about jallikattu through social media and a few people had come to Tamil Nadu and witnessed the event. They were in no way inferior to the tamers from Tamil Nadu,” said Ondiraj.
Prizes from utensils to two-wheelers were given to the tamers. A white bull belonging to Sampoor Gajendran won the first prize as the bull stood firm in the arena facing the tamers boldly and went untamed.
Ondiraj said the event would be held annually hereafter with the support of the Sri Lankan government.