Will bulls be spared in Tamil Nadu this year?

Madurai: Ramu the bull gets a special diet these days because he is the star of an ancient Tamil sport, Jallikattu - a festival for taming the bull -  for a few years running. The traditional sport is considered very auspicious and a man who locks horns with a bull and tamed him is considered virile and macho.

Following that tradition, on Saturday, hundreds of young men will participate in Jallikattu fights across rural Tamil Nadu.

"I feed him coconut, and varieties of grains," his proud owner.

But at the core of this so-called fight for honour is unimaginable cruelty to the animals. Participants pull the animals' tails, squeeze lemon in their eyes and even slash their skins to turn them wild and to enhance the spectacle of the fight, and to win.

In the past raging bulls have killed people. But that had not deterred the spirit of the people.

Once a sport of valour, Jallikattu has now turned commercial. And sadly, this festive season dedicated to cattle also ushers in months of cruelty for thousands of bulls.

The Supreme Court has recently ordered that every Jallikattu venue be double barricaded and spectators kept at a distance

"All steps are being taken to ensure the safety of the bulls and spectators," says N Mathivaanan, Collector, Madurai.

But the bloody tradition continues to enrage animal lovers and activists.