Glittering display of jallikattu legacy by Kovai goldsmith

The artist has made two sugarcanes, a Pongal pot, a bull, a youth and flame weighing just 300 milligrams of gold and placed them on matchsticks. The artist UMT Raja said that it was to depict the shrinking Tamil culture due to ban on jallikattu. 

“I made them on matchsticks as youth are erupting across the state like volcanoes to protect the sport. The bull was placed at the tip of a matchstick as the native breeds are on the verge of extinction and they will be brunt if the ban continues. The ban has made us forget the joy of the festival where sugarcane and Pongal take the centre stage,” the 47-year-old artist added. 

There were close to half a dozen protests by various student and youth organisations in the city on Wednesday, urging the government to pass an Ordinance. Police arrested 41 Bharat Sena and All India Youth Federation activists for trying to block trains. Various organisations jointly staged a demonstration at Gandhi Park on Wednesday.