Jallikattu: Health check-up of bull tamers held in Madurai

People of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai are gearing up to celebrate the traditional bull-taming sport ‘Jallikattu’. Health check-up was held for bull catchers in Madurai on January 13. Tamers are very excited to participate in the sport. Jallikattu is the world-famous cultural competition of Tamil Nadu which is celebrated on Pongal. This year over 500 bull tamers have enrolled themselves in the competition in Madurai. The Supreme Court (SC) in 2014 banned ‘Jallikattu’ after a plea was filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) but the state government insisted Jallikattu was a crucial part of its culture and identity. The ban was later lifted in January 2017 with an amendment to the law after massive protests along the Marina beach in Chennai.