Protests growing, gaining more support of traders, film bodies, theatre owners, autoriskhaw and taxi operators pledging to join protests on Friday. Music Maestro AR Rahman among the film stars coming out with their support and so did former world chess champion Vishanathan Anand.

Chennai’s Marina beach continued to be “occupied” by Jallikattu protesters, as they did public spaces in several other cities, towns and villages as Tamil Nadu escalated its protests over lifting of ban on the ancient traditional bull taming sport.

What stands out as unique and a lesson for the rest of the country to follow is that the protests, involving thousands of protesters, predominantly youth, were entirely peaceful and orderly. What the protesters did was to block out celebrities of any hues – from politics and films – from entering and taking over the platform provided by the mass uprising.

For the third successive day Marina beach was peopled to brim by protesters from different parts of the state as protests only grew in size and intensity with each passing hour.

News that came from Delhi that CM’s meeting with the PM was a failure only increased the anger of the people against the central government. For, they already know that O Panneerselvam can hardly do anything in this matter as it was up to the central government to come out with an ordinance that can restart the banned Jallikattu.

The feeling of being wronged many times was the unanimous sentiment expressed by the youth, who reeled out the list of woes – Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil fishermen, Cauvery waters, Mullaiperiyar river water sharing tussle, Pongal holiday and the list goes on and on.

Of course, Delhi gives step motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu. And sadly, Amma is also not there so there is no strong person now who can stand up to Delhi, said P Saraswathi a college student reasoning why Tamil Nadu was in a seemingly helpless situation.

News from Delhi was greeted with derision and criticism of Central government and the BJP that is trying to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu.

But the same anger against the BJP can turn into adulation if somehow the central government and the state government manage to get over the Jallikattu issue and ensure that the sport is played, once again, even if with strict regulations.

“That would certainly increase the stature of OPS and increase his stay at the crease,” said a political analyst who said that people were not really appreciating the manner in which the AIADMK was carrying on. Not many people like Sasikala taking over the party or the totally servile attitude of the senior AIADMK ministers and MLAs making a spectacle of themselves, he said.

Support for Jallikattu is only growing with traders assocations, auto and taxi associations, film related bodies and film theatres announced a strike on Friday. It would be a virtual bandh on Friday with the DMK also giving a call for state wide rail rook agitation.

Oscar award winning music maestro AR Rehman tweeted that he would be fasting to “support the spirit of Tamil Nadu.” Advocates at the Madras high court announced boycott of court proceedings on Friday.

But at the epicenter of protests in Chennai, Marina beach, students continue to be defiant and asserted that they would stay put at the beach till their demands were met.

Lifting of ban on Jallikattu and banning PETA are the two main demands, without the fulfilment of which the protesters vowed they would never leave the beach.

Their resentment and anger is directed to the political class as a whole that they feel has failed them, not just on Jallikattu but on many other issues as well.