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Running with the bulls
During the Pongal festival in January 2021, when people were still taking tentative steps into large gatherings, I had the opportunity to spend a day witnessing the festivities at a village in Krishnagiri in Tamilnadu. It was the occasion of ‘maattu pongal’, the most important of the festive days for the villagers. People decorated their cattle and offered the ‘padayal’ to the sun god. The day ended with the much anticipated ‘maadu ottam’ or a bull-run. The event was witnessed by hundreds of onlookers from nearby villages all along the main street, with many perched precariously on top of buildings and tractors. Unlike 'jallikattu', where only specially trained bulls are made to compete, in this 'maadu ottam’ event, bulls used in farming too, joined the run along with a few trained ones. Youngsters ran along trying to tame the bulls in an event that was not without its risks along with the rewards.
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![Men decorate their bull with colours and ribbons on the occasion of Pongal in Tamilnadu.]()
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![A woman offers food on a plantain leaf to the Sun God, on occasion of Pongal festival celebration in Tamilnadu.]()
'Padayal' or the offering. Every dish made with grains, fruits and vegetables from the most recent harvest is offered to the sun god.
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![A bangle seller helps a woman try glass bangles.]()
Women try bangles with a street vendor's.
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![Scores of women in colourful sarees on an open terrace, wait in anticipation of the bull run event.]()
Women assemble on the terrace to witness the bulls run.
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![A crowd of people gathers during the bull run event.]()
There is anticipation in the crowds as the first bull is released to run.
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![A young man tries to tame a young bull by holding on to its hump during a bull run event in Tamilnadu.]()
Bulls used in farming households too run along with specially trained bulls that take part in such competitions.
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![A young man tries to slow down a bull as onlookers cheer, during a bull run event in Tamilnadu.]()
There are prizes for those who try and get hold of the bull and slow it down.
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![Bull runs close to spectators during the maadu ottam or the bull-run event in Tamilnadu.]()
There is inherent risk in even being a spectator at such runs, as the bulls, often unaccustomed to the head gears, can run into spectators.
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![Spectators watch a bull run along the road from the top of a tractor.]()
Spectators watching from atop a tractor along the main street.
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![A running bull strays unexpectedly from the main street.]()
A bull runs into a narrow space behind the spectators. While village level runs are less aggressive compared to competitive jallikattu events elsewhere, bulls can run in unexpected directions putting at risk even spectators standing afar. There are hardly any safety measures employed in village runs.
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![Spectators stand on rooftops to get a good view of the bull run event in a village in Tamilnadu.]()
Spectators watch from rooftops all along the main street in Marandapalli village. In other parts of the state, there were newspaper reports of buildings collapsing due to weight of huge crowds.
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![Young men get hold of a bull that strayed into the crowds during an event in a village in Tamilnadu.]()
Unlike regular cattle, trained bulls often carry elaborate head gear that is worth many thousands of rupees which the winner can lay hands on. A bull's value and worth increases with every successive run that it completes without being captured.
