Kalpakkam to host ‘Chennaiyil jallikattu’

Rajasekar while denying rumours of corporate push behind the Chennai event, said that no business house would be allowed to take the traditional sport into their control. Informing that the event would be held in Kalpakkam at Swarnabhooomi, a private property spread over 650 acres, the peravai president said, “the venue of the event has been shifted to Kalpakkam from the previous location of Mahabalipuram.”

A section of jallikattu enthusiasts had been spreading wrong information that the ‘Chennaiyil Jallikattu’ event was being funded by some corporate groups.

Rajasekar, who is the organiser of the event, while refuting the claims opined that there was nothing wrong in getting sponsorship for the event. “Mobile phone retailers like Poorvika are not corporate companies and they had sponsored jallikattu events in Madurai last year,” recalled Rajasekar.

“Many youth, who had participated in the 2017 January protests, have not witnessed the event. At that time, I promised them if permission was given by authorities for the sport in 2017, a similar event would be organised in Chennai in 2018. It was just a mark of gratitude and keeping the promise,” said Rajasekar.

But, Strongly condemning the involvement of corporate companies in jallikattu event organised in Chennai, the Tamilar Veera Vilaiyattu Meetpu Kazhagam Chief Coordinator and Jallikattu Paathukaappu Nala Sangam Joint Secretary T Rajesh said that they would approach the court seeking a stay for the event as they suspect involvement of PETA.

Rajesh said, PETA has been conspiring to ban jallikattu by giving way to the Corporate firms to organise the event. He also claimed that the organisers will be spending nearly Rs 2.50 crore for conducting Chennai jalliakattu. “Presently, Indian companies have come forward to organise the event and may be in the future, multi-national companies would enter into the scene and gradually traditional sentiments would fade away,” said Rajesh.

Pandakkal in Avaniyapuram: Meanwhile, the pandakkal for the jallikattu at Avaniyapuram in Madurai, which used to host the season’s first event every year on January 14, was installed in the presence of village committee members and officials on Thursday.