Jallikattu comes to mind of Madurai district. The victory of the white bull, which is known as jallikattu to the people around Madurai, continues for the third year.
Avaniapuram Jallikattu, the first of the world famous jallikattu, starts today and is held with great fanfare. In that, in the third round, Villiyan, who saw the field at the token number 212, rushed out of the gate and made the players who were gathered there laugh.
With rage in his eyes, the white man chased away the players closest to him and left the field majestically as a hero like no one else.
This white bull is reared by Vidya Bhaskaran, a retired army soldier from Avaniyapuram in Madurai district. This white man is the protagonist of the jallikattu happening in the Madurai area in the last 2 years.
If this white guy comes out of the gate, the ground will shake. Can be played standing on the field. The players standing around are not allowed to approach. In spite of this, if someone jumps up and tries to touch Thimil, he can be knocked down to the ground in a second by shaking his body.
No matter how many players are standing around him, this white man who bravely enters and plays among them, has his own legion of fans. They sing praises that one must watch to see the white man rushing out of the gate.
This year too, Villiyan is preparing to bowl the players in Jallikattu. “Vellaiyan has participated in 50, 60 Jallikattu events in the last 2 years and won in all of them. When Vellaiyan sees the field, there is no failure there.
White is not the type to get off the field fast. A big player who can stand there and play. So there will be a huge fan base waiting to enjoy the white guy,” says Sankul Gandhi, son of the bull’s owner, Vidya Bhaskaran.
“In Jallikattu, the white man is the star. When the white man comes, a crowd gathers there. Many youths take pictures and record videos with the white man. Once Pongal comes, it’s festival season for us,” says Sankul Gandhi proudly.
Vidya Bhaskaran’s family, who plays the lead role in Jallikattu, treats him as one of the family members. Villiyayan is prepared with great training to compete in this Jallikattu. Apart from taking care with good and nutritious food, this white man is also excited for Jallikattu by strengthening his body by practicing horning on the sand dunes, walking and swimming.
Vidya Bhaskaran, a native of Kombukaranendal in Sivagangai district, has served in the army for 20 years. Later, he settled in Avaniyapuram, Madurai, and seeing a jallikattu bull at home there, he decided to raise a jallikattu bull himself.
“Our father also reared jallikattu bulls. Manjuvirattu, jallikattu etc. are held in the month of Adi in Sivagangai area where I lived as a child. I moved to Avaniyapuram after serving in the army and saw a jallikattu bull reared at home, so I thought we should raise the same,” he says.
“We bought Villiyayan 2 years ago. We prepared him with sufficient training and when we fielded him in jallikattu, he won in all. He has participated in more than 50 jallikattu matches so far and is playing like an unstoppable bull.
The white man has won the prizes given in every jallikat like gold coin and biro. This year too, Vidyayan is ready to play on the field after taking special training for Jallikattu for the past one month,” said Vidya Bhaskaran.
Villiyayan, which will splash the players in Jallikattu, is thrilling with the pulse that will continue this year as well.
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