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People from all walks and cultures join protests in Coimbatore
Posted on: 21/Jan/2017 11:21:23 AM
On Friday, close to half a lakh protesters gathered together in Coimbatore in solidarity towards the jallikattu ban. Incidentally, there were no celebrities here.
Students had arrived early and by 10 a.m., they had organised themselves on sheets, spread out into zones with a walking path in between to mobilise easy distribution of food / water and collection of garbage.
The public soon joined them. The crowd included families with young and old, representatives from the Rajasthani Sangh, Punjabi, and Gujarati Samaj, visually challenged and transgender people. As time passed, people from nearby districts arrived in mini vans and buses. Those from Gandhipuram bus stand braved the intense heat and walked to the venue. As could be made possible, the women and children were made to sit.
Says one such Punjabi protester, My life is steeped in Tamil culture. I came here from Ludhiana when I was four and have lived here for 55 years. I love jallikattu and consider it as a sport of valour. I have seen it in Madurai and it was an amazing experience. You should never bow down to forces that try to disrupt your cultural and traditional practices. Today PETA will oppose something in Tamil Nadu, tomorrow they will do so in some other State and this will go on. Even if it takes weeks, we will fight.
A transgender person said, We joined the protest from Thursday. We see jallikattu as the identity of Tamil culture and since we are all Tamilians, we are here to support the cause.
Students had arrived early and by 10 a.m., they had organised themselves on sheets, spread out into zones with a walking path in between to mobilise easy distribution of food / water and collection of garbage.
The public soon joined them. The crowd included families with young and old, representatives from the Rajasthani Sangh, Punjabi, and Gujarati Samaj, visually challenged and transgender people. As time passed, people from nearby districts arrived in mini vans and buses. Those from Gandhipuram bus stand braved the intense heat and walked to the venue. As could be made possible, the women and children were made to sit.
Says one such Punjabi protester, My life is steeped in Tamil culture. I came here from Ludhiana when I was four and have lived here for 55 years. I love jallikattu and consider it as a sport of valour. I have seen it in Madurai and it was an amazing experience. You should never bow down to forces that try to disrupt your cultural and traditional practices. Today PETA will oppose something in Tamil Nadu, tomorrow they will do so in some other State and this will go on. Even if it takes weeks, we will fight.
A transgender person said, We joined the protest from Thursday. We see jallikattu as the identity of Tamil culture and since we are all Tamilians, we are here to support the cause.
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