HORI
HABBA - ART & CULTURE
News:
Deaths during Hori bull
races raise safety concerns
What's
in the news?
●
Since January this year, at least five
people were gored to death at hori habba or bull-taming competitions held in
Shikaripura, Mundgod and Haveri.
Key
takeaways:
●
The annual event, organised in seven
taluks of the semi-Malnad region, has been witnessing fatalities every year
which have largely gone unnoticed.
Hori
Habba:
●
It is a popular bull-catching event in Karnataka.
●
It is held during the harvest season.
Features:
●
It is an ancient folk game native to
Haveri district and played on the lines of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and Kambala
in Dakshina Kannada district.
Go
back to basics:
Kambala:
●
Kambala is a traditional slush track buffalo race that is held annually in
coastal districts of Karnataka.
●
During the festival, buffalo pairs are
made to race one after another in paddy fields as a thanksgiving to the Gods
for protecting the animals from diseases.
Jallikattu:
●
Jallikattu also called Eru Thazhuvuthal is a Tamil custom
celebrated on the day of Mattu Pongal, the day after Pongal (harvest festival).
●
The festival finds a mention in the Sangam
literature and has been celebrated since nearly 2,500 years.
●
On the day of the event, the bulls are let
loose from an enclosure (vaadi vaasal) and participants attempt to subdue them.
●
It is controversial because the sport
often results in major injuries and even deaths of both bulls and humans.