The Rediff Special/Sandesh Prabhudesai

The Bulls Are Back!

Taking the bull by its horns, the Congress government has decided to bring back the bull fight, one of Goa's best known travel attractions.

This decision -- for which the local government has received the backing of the Union government in Delhi -- flies in the face of animal rights activists, whose campaign had led to a ban on the sport in October 1995, under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

It helps, of course, that Law Minister Ramakant Khalap just happens to be the MP for North Goa -- an area that has more than its fair share of people making a living out of the bullring, or dhirio to give it the Goan name for the sport.

Khalap's decision to provide legal protection for the sport apparently stems from pressure brought to bear by the five million dhirio owners, operators and peripheral workers who, between them, comprise a good 40 per cent of the state's population.

Interestingly, it was no less than former minister of state for environment Maneka Gandhi who, under the banner of her People for Animals outfit, campaigned against the sport and, through the intercession of the high court, got it banned. The order was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

'Inciting any animal to fight any other animal with a view to providing entertainment or organising, using or acting in the management of any place for animal fighting or for the purpose of the baiting of any animal, or permitting or offering any place to be so used and causing cruelty of other nature to the animals is clearly prohibited by section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,' the historic judgment read, in part.

The damning statement by the law courts would appear to have rung the death knell of the dhirio -- except that with numbers on their side, the bull ring owners weren't about to roll over and play dead. Knowing the strength of numbers -- especially in a democratic set up -- the dhirio owners began flexing their political muscle.

The result? This statement from Goa's Industries Minister Luizinho Faleiro says it all: "Actually, I am opposed in principle to starting dhirio again. But my people are suffering due to the sudden ban."

And as we all know too well, when the people -- in large numbers -- suffer, then politicians lose votes.

So a way had to be found around it. And semantics provided the solution. Thus, from here on, dhirio will be termed a sport, not a fight. Its purpose will be defined as a test of strength and stamina -- thus moving it out of the blood-sport category.

And to take the wind out of animal rights activists' sails, the ramshackle sheds that housed dhirios -- and, thanks to poor construction and lack of space between the spectators and the arena, occasionally caused injuries to the former from the bulls, will be replaced by proper stadia. Also, veterinary surgeons will be on hand to treat bulls in case of injury.

"Bull fights are held in Kerala, while cock fights are held all over the country," rationalises Animal Husbandry minister Chandrakant Chodankar. "Why then shouldn't we allow the sport in Goa, of course in a legalised manner?"

The "legalised manner" will be taken care of when the Pratapsingh Rane follows through on its decision to amend section 1 (3) of the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1968. A new clause will be added, describing dhirio as 'a traditional, popular, unique sport, where bulls are trained properly by owners to fight each other and to develop their strength...'

The amendment, in fact, has been forwarded to the Union law ministry -- in other words, to Khalap -- since the act falls in the concurrent list and requires assent from the Federal government. Local dhirio operators, who have already missed two lucrative seasons thanks to the ban, express fears the ministry might well turn the proposed amendment down, but that looks unlikely with Khalap at the helm.

In fact, it is Khalap who put the words in the mouth of that amendment. "I told them to propose such an amendment, which cannot be legally objected to. We can certainly allow a sport which is played to develop strength and stamina," the law minister says, tongue apparently in cheek.

The proposal in any event cuts across party lines. The other Goa MP Churchill Alemao -- Khalap's arch rival otherwise -- is one of the strongest supporters of the amendment. Of course, it is entirely coincidental that Alemao owns a champion bull.

Dhirios are still popular in over hundred villages spread along the Goan coastline. Over 2,000 people own fighting bulls, and spend anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000 on their upkeep and training.

Fights are staged every weekend, and each pulls crowds of around 4,000 upwards. The turnover, in terms of ticket sales, sponsorships, and prize money -- not to mention betting -- is conservatively estimated in the high millions.

With that kind of stakes to play for -- and with Khalap himself masterminding the movement behind the scenes -- it seems odds on that the bulls will be back in the ring at the soonest.

And if Maneka Gandhi and her PFA gets into the act again, she could, say local dhirio operators, be in for a fight.

EARLIER FEATURE:

The Bull Fights of Goa

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