First anniversary of pro-Jallikattu protests celebrated

Chennai, Jan 17: The traditional bull taming sport of Jallikattu was successfully held this year with the event, popular in southern districts during the harvest festival of Pongal, ending at the world famous Alanganallur in Madurai on Tuesday.
But it was the people of Tamil Nadu who were instrumental in ensuring that the rural sport, symbolising courage and valour, was held without any hitch, thanks to the massive revolution launched on the Marina beach front in the city, on this date last year.
What started as a peaceful protest in the southern districts ahead of the Pongal festival at Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avuniyapuram, it soon spread to other parts of the State after the low-key Pongal festival as people, especially poured out their anger in a peaceful manner, batting for the bull taming sport. 
In Chennai city, the response was spontaneous. Making optimum use of the social media like Facebook, Whatsapp and twitter, the youth force came to the fore when lakhs and lakhs of people from various walks of life, cutting across religious barriers, including women with their new borns, school and college students, congregated on the sprawling beach demanding lifting the ban on the rural sport.
It was a sea of humanity on the Marina as people united for a single cause--lifting the ban Jallikattu--that was unprecedented in nature and never witnessed in the annals of Tamil Nadu politics. 
The first anniversary of the pro-Jallikattu protests that rocked the entire state, was observed on Wednesday, with the youth celebrating the occasion by cutting a giant cake, with the topping of a bull, and distributing it to the public.
The cake contained the slogan 'Marina Puratchi-1' (Marina Revolution). 
The celebrations and cake cutting event was held at the fishing hamlet of Nochikuppam at Marina. 
They recalled the week long peaceful protests held last year and termed it as an historic event in the history of the state. 
Meanwhile, security was tightened on the Marina beach, following reports that the people might gather to celebrate the first anniversary of Jallikattu protests. UNI