Jallikattu ban: AR Rahman fasts to support the spirit of Tamil Nadu!

Mumbai: Music maestro AR Rahman is fasting today in order to show solidarity with the people of Tamil Nadu who have been peacefully protesting against the ban on traditional bull sport Jallikattu.

The dual Academy Award winning music composer had announced his decision to fast on Friday to support the spirit of Tamil Nadu.

And today, he tweeted: “Join me on periscope today at 6.14 pm IST as I have the first glass of water to break my fast..(sic)”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Join me on periscope today at 6.14 pm IST as I have the first glass of water to break my fast..</p>&mdash; A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) <a href="https://twitter.com/arrahman/status/822298998941908992">20 January 2017</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Legendary actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan too extended their support to the cause. Besides the veterans, young actors like Suriya, Vijay, Chiyaan Vikram, R. Madhavan, Nayanthara too came out in support of the ongoing protest in the state.

The Tamil Nadu government has been repeatedly urging the Centre to issue an ordinance for the Jallikattu sport, which is held during the Tamil harvest festival Pongal.

On Monday, more than 200 youths were taken into custody while they were protesting at the Alanganallur village demanding lifting of the ban on Jallikattu.

Thousands of young men and women here have demanded not only an end to the ban on Jallikattu but also a ban on People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which opposes the sport.

In Jallikattu, a bull vaulter is expected to hang on to the animal`s hump for a stipulated distance or for a minimum of three jumps by the bull.

The Supreme Court banned Jallikattu in May 2014, saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including bullock-cart races. Since then, people have been urging the central government to take steps to allow the sport.

 (With agency inputs)