Dr.Vidhyavathi Prasath
Assistant
Professor, Department of English, Government Arts College forMen, Nandanam
Chennai-35. Email id: pravith_vidhu@yahoo.co.in
Abstract
Vaadivasal written by C.S Chellappa in
Tamil and translated by N. Kalian Raman in English is a short story with a mix
of excitement, anticipation, fear, joy and pathos given for the first time in a
prose narrative. Vaadivasal is hailed as a milestone in the annals of Tamil
prose fiction. It is a simple story deep rooted with the culture, tradition and
legacy of people in and around the city of Madurai (Tamilnadu, India)—the place
which is known for bull taming. The story is about the bull-taming contest
which is familiarly known as “Eru Thazhual” in Tamil. Though it is a story on
the contest between man and animal; where man has to hold tightly to the hump
of the bull in order to bring it down; and in the end either the arms or the
horns win, it is even more important on various other backgrounds.
Key Words:
vaadivasal,
significance of bull in history, tradition, religion and agriculture, subaltern
exploitation, ethnic conflicts
Introduction.
Vaadivasal
not only speaks about the famous jallikattu contest but under its shadow it
speaks about the arrogance and superiority of the upper class notwithstanding
the rising power of the subaltern class. It is where C. S. Chellappa marks a difference. Unlike Earnest Hemingway
who lets his protagonist to kill the bull in The Undefeated, C. S Chellappa speaks not only about bull-fighting
but about bull-taming.
Jallikkattu may
not be as systematised and spectacular as the Spanish bullfight, it depends
more on the split-second gut feeling of the fighter. The goal of the fight is
not to kill any living being.
The
protagonist of Vaadivasal never kills
the bull. He only tames the bull with great fervour. But the owner of the bull;
notwithstanding the control of an inferior man on his superior bull kills it
ruthlessly. Chellappa lets his
protagonist to tame the bull not to kill the bull. He uses his story to give a
feel of the feudal world in which the taming takes place. It also tells about,
“hierarchy, love, intimacy, pride, friendship, revenge and above all, the
man-beast duel” (Vaadivasal xxvi).
For these multiple angel he portrayed; the staunch literary activist and the
winner of Sahitya Akademi Award; C. S. Chellappa will always be remembered. It
is not only for his books Suthanthira
Thagam (The Thurst for Freedom) and Vaadivasal
but he will always be remembered for his matchless commitment to the cause
of Modern Tamil Literature.
The story Vaadivasal revolves around Periyapatti arena, the place which is
very famous for jallikattu. “If you ever hold down a bull, you should do it at
Chellayi jallikattu. The best sanguvaadi ever” (3). The story springs through
the mixture of man and animal characters and the conflicts that revolve not
only between man and animal but also between man and man. The conflict between
man and animal is the conflict between Picchi, the protagonist and the fearsome
bull Kaari, which is the prized possession of a Zamindar.
As
the kaari turns to face him and Chellappa’s outstanding Tamil classic unfolds.
The ground shakes and the pages trembles. Picchi’s grip on the bull is
just a breath behind the author’s grip on our imagination as the sport of
jallikattu spins the reader in and out of the arena.
Picchi is the son of Ambuli Thevan an
expert bull tamer who was killed by Kaari, in the jallikattu at Uslianoor.
Since then kaari was the prized possession of the Zamindar Mokkaiah Thevar.
“Ambuli, he is the man!...passed away the year before last, after pouncing on
this Kaari bull in the Challi held just before it passed into the Zamindar’s
hands” (21).
Picchi could not rescue his father in that
Challi. He was hopeless and helpless as he had to obey his father’s words.
“Whatever happens, don’t rush into the fray. Swear on your father. After me
this arena will be yours to rule” (30). Ambuli Thevan, was gored by the bull
and was dead after few months of the jallikatuu. He said before he died;
This
Kaari donkey caught my eye not in my youth but when I was already old; else, I
would have pressed it down with a single hold, easy as pushing it down in the
mud. Now when I am dying, news that Ambuli Thevan was spun around and felled by
Mokaiah Thevar’s kaari has come to stay. (28-29)
Picchi’s very purpose of coming to
Periyapatti arena is to tame the same bull; “the kaari, which had not only
destroyed his father’s dream but also his very life” (30). Picchi wanted to
bring back his father’s art of taming bull. His father “was as cunning as Yama,
Lord of death...That whole art has gone with him” (21). Picchi has come to
Perriyapatti arena not to tame any other varieties of bulls such as Karambai
bull, Vathalakulam bull, the Billai-Adusakudi bull, the Mayilai-Kattuparayam
bull or the Corral-Pannaiyur bull; but only to tame “Vadipuram Bull” (57),
“Black devil” (57), “Demon Kaari” (57)—the bull that had taken his father’s
life. However ferocious the bull is, Picchi will make victory his way to
fullfil his father’s unquenched victory. Moreover he has the genetic talent,
“deciding when to jump on which bull is part of his natural instinct” (61).
Picchi who comes as a
strange person with zero knowledge of Periyapatti arena wins the heart of
Pattaiya—the old man of the village and a great fan of Picchi’s father. Having
come to know through Marudan, Picchi’s brother-in-law as well as his cohort in
bull taming; that Picchi is the son of Ambuli Thevan, Pattaiya develops a
natural love towards Picchi. Having understood who Picchi is and his purpose of
the day, he shakes the initial conflict that he developed with Picchi and
befriends him. In fact he is the one who teaches Picchi about the intricacies
of the arena and the nature of various bulls. He wished for Picchi’s success to
bring back Ambuli Thevan’s skill. “Picchi, you must...this Kaari donkey...”
(78). He also feels happy when Picchi tames Kaari. “You have avenged yourself,
Picchi! You’ve redeemed your father’s honour” (75).
However Murugan another
bull tamer from South province, who was supposed to be the Zamindar’s man
develops a conflict with Picchi because of egotism. Like the conflict between
Pattaiya and Picchi gets resolved after better understanding; the conflict
between Picchi and Murugan also gets resolved when Picchi rescues Murugan from
the bull Billai and substitutes him in taming the bull. Picchi wins for him and
gives the reward to him; not accepting the reward as his own.
The third conflict is the
actual conflict between Picchi and kaari. It was a tough conflict as who would
win. “Which one would tire first-the hand or the horn” (67). The fourth
conflict is developed between Picchi and the Zamindar. The Zamindar took pride
that his kaari is unconquerable. “He was confident that his kaari would tear
Picchi apart as easily as a piece of plantain fibre” (59). But his confident is
broken when Picchi tames a couple of less eminent bulls and the Zamindar
recognised Picchi’s bravery when eventually he tamed Kaari. Thus the fourth conflict
gets resolved by recognising the valour of the young man.
The fifth and the final
conflict is between the Zamindar and his pride. He could not tolerate his
bull’s defeat and a subaltern winning his bull. When the entire village
celebrates Picchi’s victory and his bravery; “You have avenged yourself,
Picchi! You’ve redeemed your father’s honour!” (75), the Zamindar’s ego was
hurt. The bull had become the victim to the man’s pride. When his revolver
exploded twice, it was all done; “it’s only a beast!” (81). But at the same
time C.S. Chellappa, strikes a note that; “If an animal’s pride is hurt, it
lead to destruction; it’s the same with the man’s pride too!” (8)
The various conflicts on
which the story flows do not foretell anything. Nether it does signify anything
specifically. It is just an authentic record of the happenings of the
jallikaatu in a vivid, accurate and fluent narrative. C.S. Chellappa has
described the custom and tradition of the people. He brings forth the ancient
history and the predominant role of bulls played in history. He speaks about
the inseparable role of the bulls in Hindu religion. He narrates the prominent role of bulls in
farming. “If a bull wins, it is sent for breeding...the one which lose are sent
for farming” [iii].
Here Zamindar’s pride is self-centred. Besides
bull contest as a taming sport he has taken it into a pride of class
distinction. It is his arrogance and the upper class chauvinism that does not
want the lower class to rise. Otherwise the other’s pride to win over in
jallikattu is only to save the natural breed. A decade ago, there were nine lakh
bulls, but now there are only 60,000. It is only due to our ignorance.
Jallikattu is our identity. It is more than entertainment; it is a livelihood.
[iii]. C. S. Chellappa has made bull taming as an idol of bravery through his
writing to all people across the world. He has given:
“A gripping account of a sport that
the Supreme Court banned in 2014 for the cruelty to animals it supposedly
involves but which jallikattu supporters insist is a keen contest between man
and beast.”
(https://thewire.in/101794/the-taming-of-a-demon-bull-an-extract-from-c-s-chellappas-classic-novella/) [iv].
The Supreme Court had revoked its ban due to the
jallikattu protest in 2017 which started at Marina, Chennai and set ablaze
across the city, ventured across the country, and to overseas to some extent.
However a thorough reading of the text Vaadivasal
published four years prior to the protest will show us how important the sport
is for farming.
The
stalk reality of the ethnic conflict and the angst and despair of the subaltern
class; be it Picchai or Karri, the bull that becomes the poor victim of the
man’s pride is occasionally present. Besides that bull taming is to be
celebrated not only to preserve identity but for the very livelihood of
mankind.
References
1. Chellappa, C.
S. Vaadivaasal. “Trans”, N. Kalyan
Raman. India: OUP, 2013. “Print”.
2. The Hindu.
“Metroplus”, Tuesday, June 28, 2016: Chennai Edition.
3..https://thewire.in/101794/the-taming-of-a-demon-bull-an-extract-from-c-s-chellappas-classic-novella/
