The fearsome bull, the fearless bull tamers, the anxious bull owners, the vigilant organising committee members, watchful police, animated audience and the eagle-eyed cameras are not the only things that surround the vigorous Vadivasal during Jallikattu, the famous bull taming festival, the protest for which turned the heads of the Kings and subjects of this country.

Along with the powerful storyline of the battle between bulls and tamers that runs along with vadivasal, a small, yet a deciding political script has been running for many years without much hue and cry. Politics lies in every move made to tame a bull and it has been successfully carried out for many years by tamers and bull owners, not politicians.

“The owners of certain bulls arrange a few men who are bull tamers. Their work is to somehow make a green corridor without being noticed. They will push others and come close to the Vadivasal and block the way for other tamers, either leaving the bull untouched or attempt a deliberately failed move,” says a seasoned bull tamer.
However, this is a small conspiracy and since only a few people are involved, it largely goes unnoticed, yet a decent sum is transferred in the process.

“Some owners indulge in these activities to keep the pride of their bulls and their undefeated streak alive,” another bull tamer adds.

To avoid such incidents, bull tamers enter the game with a group of friends for personal safety. “Our friends always help in identifying and tackling such imposters, who also ruin the very idea of this game,” he adds.

Competition between the tamers also plays a major role in this, as some bull tamers make sure that their competitor does not succeed.

However, this phenomenon, which bull owners deny, does not affect the spirit of the game to a large extent as it happens in a small scale, and bulls continue to shoot out from the Vadivasal making the game interesting.