'Chennaiyil Jallikattu’ to give a dashing start to 2018

Touted as an initiative to spread awareness among the younger generation about Tamil culture and tradition, the event will seek to pay tribute to the traditional sport, but also make it more innovative and interesting for audiences.

Says Karthik Srinivas, who is organising the spectacle, “When Dr P Rajasekhar, President of TN Jallikattu Peravai, and Amar Prasad Reddy, secretary of Chennai Jallikattu Peravai approached us with the idea, we were excited to take it ahead. Having organised several big events and concerts earlier, this was a new challenge for us to reach out to the public. Though we are retaining the original rules, the only change is in the format – it will have five rounds and five teams, in order to make it more watchable.”

Bulls will be brought in mainly from Madurai, its surrounding villages and from other regions across the state - close to around 500 of them - which will be ‘hand-picked’ for the meet. The participants are all registered players with the jallikattu associations, and no other men will be allowed to compete, add the organisers.

“Since all the bulls have to return to their respective villages before Pongal, we plan to hold it before the festival – and to telecast it on TV on the occasion of ‘maatu Pongal’. Everything is being held with the approval and scrutiny of the rules laid down by the government, so what controversy do we have to fear? We are confident things will progress smoothly – and the plan is to host it in Coimbatore and Madurai next as well,” says Karthik.

Assuring that a massive arena has been selected for the event, with high-class security and safety measures in place, the organisers add that several celebrities from the movie industry, newsmakers and leaders will be invited to kick off proceedings and make their presence felt at the festivities.