Meet Yazhini: The 10-year-old girl training bulls for Jallikattu in TN

Madurai (Tamil Nadu): A fifth-grade girl in Madurai is training a bull for the upcoming Jallikattu event, which is set to take place during the Pongal festival next month.

A fifth-grade girl in Madurai is training a bull for the upcoming Jallikattu event, which is set to take place during the Pongal festival next month.

The young girl, named Yazhini, has been working with the bull named 'Nanban' for the past three years, forming a special bond with him.

Yazhini, who attends Crescent School and lives in Mangkulam village, comes from a traditional farming family where cattle rearing is a way of life. With the support of her parents, she has developed a passion for training Jallikattu bulls.

Speaking to ANI, Yazhini said, "This bull's name is 'Nanban' (meaning friend), and I have been with him for five years. I consider him like an elder brother. When I go near him, he doesn't harm me and is always affectionate towards me."

Further, she said "Before the Jallikattu event, we provide him with training such as swimming and walking exercises. I have accompanied him during Jallikattu competitions. When he comes out of the Vaadi Vaasal (the starting point of the event), he plays aggressively with the bull-taming participants. After that, he calmly comes back home with me," Yazhini added.

Guided by her father, Yazhini developed an interest in bull training from a very young age as she actively took part in feeding the bulls and providing them with water.

Yazhini's father Sivanesan also spoke to ANI and said, " I have two bulls. Since Jallikattu is approaching, I am giving them training such as walking exercises and swimming practice. If I ever have to go out, my daughter takes care of the bulls. My Bull participated in the last Jallikattu competition and won gold and silver coin prizes."

With the Pongal festival approaching, bull trainers in Madurai are gearing up for the world-renowned Jallikattu event.

As the event draws near, bull owners are putting their animals through rigorous daily training, including walking, swimming, and 'mann kuthal' (a process where bulls develop their skills by digging their horns into wet earth and learning to attack when someone tries to catch their hump).

Jallikattu is an age-old bull-taming event celebrated mostly in Tamil Nadu as part of Pongal celebrations.

In Jallikattu, a bull is released into a crowd of people, and participants in the event try to grab the large hump on the bull's back, attempting to bring the bull to a stop.

The history of Jallikattu dates back to 400-100 BCE, when the Ayars, an ethnic group in India, played it.

The name is coined from two words: Jalli (silver and gold coins) and Kattu (tied). (ANI)