CHENNAI: While the Supreme Court is hearing a case challenging the law which allowed the conduct of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, the jamboree is all set to return as an Indian Premiere League-styled league ahead of Pongal. The competition is planned in a plot opposite the Madras Crocodile Bank on East Coast Road on January 7, Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Peravai and Chennai Jallikattu Amaipu, the organisers, said while unveiling the logo for the event.
Around 500 youngsters from 17 districts across the state and an equal number of bulls have been selected to take part in the event. The event will be televised, organisers said. "Majority of people in the northern Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, have not witnessed jallikattu," said Rajmohan Arumugam, who hosted the programme.
The participants would be divided into five groups and would have to go through three rounds. In each round around 20 bulls would be released into the playing area and a team would be eliminated after each round. The organisers said that the government has given permission for the event and also backed it. They also indicated that bulls belonging to MPs and MLAs might also participate in the event. Allaying fears about how the sport would be regulated, organisers assured availability of medical facilities for the bulls and the participants on the ground, apart from arrangements for adequate rest for the cattle when they were being brought from other parts of the state.
