Bullock cart racing: India
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The tradition
Chinchvali(Maharashtra), 2017: bull race despite ban
Kiran D Tare, 29 January, 2017: Dailymail
Back in the race: A dusty village in Maharashtra defies court ban and discreetly organises the banned bullock cart race on Republic Day
Villagers in Chinchvali in Maharashtra organised bull race
The race saw participation of 700 bulls and the villagers claim none of the animals were injured
5,000 people gathered to witness the race - a sport that is banned in Maharashtra
Villagers claim that they treat the bulls as their sons
Maruti Deshkar, a farmer from Titwala, could not hold back his joy when a pair of his bullocks, Lakshya and Kanhaiya, won the bullock cart race held on a dusty track at Chinchvali, around 70 km from Mumbai, on Republic Day.
A race enthusiast, Deshekar had placed a bet of Rs 20,000 with his rival on the race. Both of them deposited Rs 20,000 each to the organisers before the race began.
On winning the race, Deshekar got back his deposit and a reward of Rs 16,000 from the organisers, who deducted Rs 4,000 as their fees for holding the race.
Deshekar's rival lost his deposit. Deshekar and his colleagues celebrated by throwing gulal at each other but before that they ensured that the bullocks are moved to a safe place. All the bullocks were unhurt after the race.
At a time the country is debating on the use of animals for sport and the subsequent 'cruelty' to them by risking their lives, this race at Chinchvali presented a different story.
There were around 700 pairs of bullock for the race, but none of them was injured during the event. Almost 5,000 people had gathered under hot sun braving dust, to witness the race - a sport that is banned in Maharashtra.
The race was not publicised, either through mainstream media or social media. Word-of-mouth publicity had fetched competitors, most of them arriving in high-end cars, and the spectators in bikes.
Suresh Fulare, one of the organisers of Chinchvali race, says the bullocks that participate in the race are well maintained.
'It is wrong to say that these animals are treated cruelly. Can you see any injured animal here?' he asks.
The farmers argue that ban on bullock cart race is a result of misunderstanding at the government level. 'We treat our bulls like our sons. We feed them healthy food, which is usually a mixture of cashew and almonds, and two litres of milk every day.'
'We have bought two buffaloes only because we wanted to ensure that the bulls get their mills on time,' says Deshekar's son Vijay. Pointing at Kanhaiya he says: 'It is one of the fittest bulls witha a market price of Rs 36 lakh.'
'Do you think we will injure such an expensive animal? We take care of the bulls more than the attention you pay to your smartphone, which costs some thousands rupees.' A farmer from Karjat in Raigad Tukaram Joshi echoes Vijay. 'I spend Rs 500 everyday on a bull's diet.' 'We purchase only one litre of milk for family members, but the bull gets five litres every day,' he says.
The tradition of bullock cart race in Maharashtra dates back to 450 years. It is not linked to any festival as is the case in Tamil Nadu. The race is widely popular in the regions of Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada.
Normally, the racing season begins after Makar Sankranti and lasts till monsoon arrives. This is the period when farmers are not busy in their farm related works.
There is no documentation on when and how the bullock cart race began in the state. The farmer's say that the race is mainly held when there is a fair in any village.
'Fair is the main attraction for social gathering in the rural areas even today,' says Dileep Bhoir. 'Tamasha and bullock cart race are an integral part of any fair. Now-a-days the race is organised even when there is no fair. It has become an adventure sport although it is expensive.'
In some cases, the organisers utilise the money raised through the race for renovation of local temples. The rules set by the organisers across the state have several restrictions on the participants.
One race must be finished between 23 to 30 seconds. The rider cannot use any kind of weapon that would harm the bull and most importantly one pair of bullocks cannot participate in more than 20 races in a year.
Bullock cart race is also a prominent platform for the politicians to reach out to the voters.
Shiva-ji-rao Adhalrao-Patil, Shiv Sena member in the Lok Sabha from Shirur in Pune, has approached the Supreme Court with a petition to lift the ban on the race. He blames the then Union environment minister, Prakash Javadekar, for not taking the matter seriously.
'He neglected our demand. Had he taken an initiative to resolve the issue through legislation we would not have approached the court.' Adhalrao-Patil argues that bullock cart race generates economy in that particular village.
The daily turnover on a racing day is not less than Rs 15 lakh.
It includes business of small traders and wages to the farmers' aids who help them in transporting the bulls to the racing venue. Adhalrao-Patil claims that the issue will be sorted out if the Parliament amends the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Then Union environment minister Jayanti Natarajan had included bulls in the list of animals banned for performance alone through a notification in June 2011. The other animals banned were bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and lions.
'If bulls are removed from the list all states will be able to keep their tradition alive.' 'Our argument is that bull is not a wild animal but a pet animal, a non-castrated animal,' he says.
Minutes after Deshekar won the race four officers attached with Thane Police arrived at the spot. They insisted the organisers must stop further races because they are still banned.
'We are eagerly waiting for the Supreme Court judgment on this issue. We hope it will be in our favour because we are animal lovers not torturers,' says Fulare. The association of bullock cart owners staged a raasta roko agitation at Narayangaon near Pune protesting against ban on the racing. The state is likely to witness several such agitations in near future.
