Bull-taming tradition resumes in southern Indian state
ALLANGANALLUR, India — In the darkness just before dawn, the southern Indian town buzzed with excitement and energy as revelers began arriving for the spectacle of Jallikattu, the region’s version of running with the bulls.
The deeply held religious ritual had been banned in Tamil Nadu for two years after India’s Supreme Court found it cruel. Jallikattu returned to Tamil Nadu in January after tens of thousands of people protested for weeks and forced the government to rush new legislation exempting it from animal cruelty laws.
And so the revelry returned to Alanganallur village in Madurai district, one of the main areas steeped in the tradition.
The spectators began arriving at the main arena, along with all the elements that create a carnival in small-town India — the tiny stalls selling hot tea and coffee, cold drinks and fried snacks. Policemen with sniffer dogs secured the venue. Then the trucks with the bulls arrived.