This story is from January 16, 2017

All in the name of tradition!

Taking a closer look at Kichchu Haisodu
All in the name of tradition!
Taking a closer look at Kichchu Haisodu
Last Saturday, on Sankranti, many people took part in the Kichchu Haisodu ceremony at Bull Temple Road, where cattle walked over fire for good omen...
There's no danger, says participant
Gombe Prakash, a god-fearing resident of Basavanagudi, says that one of the bulls paraded this Sankranti was the one that he had donated to the temple when he had a baby girl. “I’d taken an oath that when my wife and I have a child, we would donate a bull to the temple.
Around seven-and-a-half years ago, when my daughter was around one-and-a-half years old, we donated this bull in her hands. There’s nothing wrong in this practice. All that’s done is the bulls are paraded and then made to walk on a haystack that his set on fire, but has space to walk too. The fact that there are people walking alongside the bulls shows that there is no danger in this practice. In fact, if one takes the ash from the burnt hay and applies it on the forehead daily, it will do good to one's life,” says Prakash.

Animals are afraid of fire, and walking through it can burn their hide

Shree Kavya, founder, Animals Birds Nature Foundation

It's cruelty, say activists
“Every year, during the harvest festival of Sankranti, all the animals involved in the harvest are given importance and treated well. Traditionally, when the hooves of cattle would get infected, it was treated by making the animals walk on lightly burning coal. With modern medical facility, this is no longer a requirement. Over time, this has taken on religious significance and cattle are made to walk through fire that is lit over hay. Animals are afraid of fire, and walking through it can burn their hide. I was present at the event and have taken video evidence of what happened. We also found out that there were two more locations in Bengaluru that had similar happenings. We are now planning our next course of action.”

— Shree Kavya, founder, Animals Birds Nature Foundation
“I am surprised how no one is able to view this as cruelty. I am shocked that this has been going on for ages; there are so many activists who are against cow slaughter, but they are turning a blind eye to this since it’s in the name of religion.”
— Anurag Varma, member, Animal Welfare Board of India
9.Special pooja is conducted at each of the 6 temples (5)

“I went to the police station to file an FIR against the event, but was sent away by an inspector, who happens to be an animal lover, who told me that there wasn’t cruelty involved. The thing is that we got to know about this very late; had we known earlier, we would have put political pressure and ensured that this hadn’t taken place. Such an act is punishable under the PCA (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) which carries a fine of just Rs 50. I have tried to stop animal sacrifices, which is a cognizable offence, but the police refused to file a case for that as well as they were afraid of bearing the brunt of the people’s anger.”
— Sarath Lal, member, Animal Welfare Board of India
This is banned, says PETA
Sachin Bangera from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says that any form of bulls and performances are banned by the Supreme Court and cannot take place in India, irrespective of the religious, traditional or cultural sentiment attached to it. “The order from the Supreme Court says that any form of performances, which includes races, fights or any other activity involving these animals on festivals and significant days is banned and is illegal. Therefore, they cannot happen if we are strictly speaking in terms of the law of the land,” he says.
17.Other cattle that were decorated for the Pooja (3)
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