Bengaluru : The recent upholding of the ban on cockfighting(during Sankranti) by the High Court has come as a relief to many animal lovers. Voices to allow such traditions to continue in Andhra are gaining momentum in the name of cultural sentiment. Not only is cruelty to birds witnessed in these events, but also illegal activities like betting take place under the pretext of tradition. The mega sporting events, generally held at private farms with fencing, are huge crowd-pullers. The cocks are pitted against each other,leading to the death or injury of one.

A similar ban on Jallikattu (bull fighting) also saw resentment from a section of the society which believes in such celebrations. In Jallikattu, bulls are released from pensand bullfighters are supposed to hold on to the animal’s hump for about 15-20 metres or three jumps of the bull to win the prize. Jallikattu is more than 2,000 years old and considered to be one of the oldest sports still practised in the modern era.

“No tradition justifies cruelty. To elaborate, bride burning, child marriage, human sacrifice were also traditions. One can’t justify brutality under the guise of tradition. Just like there is biological evolution, there is moral evolution – and we as humans have to be mindful of our behaviour,” says Shubhobroto S Ghosh, author of “Dreaming in Calcutta and Channel Islands.”
It is sad that vote bank politics promotes such traditions. “Politicians are scared to take steps that may agitate people. We should be sensitive towards other creatures;these are primitive traditions,” says Ankita Virmani, wildlife documentary editor.

Taking the discussion forward, Sujit Kumar Mukherjee, who has worked for WWF says, “Traditions have to change with time. We can’t behave like mindless souls and pander to inhuman practices. We have done away with sacrifices because they are a cruel way of celebrating and venerating any god.”