Four days and four nights later, the people’s movement for jallikattu at the Marina beach in Chennai is only growing. While the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced that an ordinance will be promulgated by the state to allow jallikattu, protesters say they will not budge until it actually happens.
The humans of jallikattu at the Marina beach spent Friday night holding up the flashlights on their phone, and the visuals will give you goosebumps.
Historical moment.
— Rajinikanth Fans (@Rajni_FC) January 20, 2017
Lots of people gathered
Night #TNWins @VigneshShivN @sri50 @singersuchi #JusticeforJallikattu pic.twitter.com/WUCbz3bLVE
#WATCH People protesting at Marina Beach with flashlights over Jallikattu ban. Tweet your reactions with #MakkalMovement pic.twitter.com/0M10hWjYPH
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) January 19, 2017
While the protesters - largely youngsters and students - have refused to let any politician or film star hijack their movement, there are a few everyday celebrities who have found a place among the people.
RJ Balaji is one such person, and he addressed the crowd at Marina last night, explaining that once the ordinance is passed, the vaadivasal will be opened, and jallikattu will be allowed.
He gave credit to the people protesting at Marina for the promulgation of the ordinance. “It will be promulgated for sure, but not because of the 39 MPs who are sitting in Lok Sabha on our behalf. It will be promulgated because of you, the people who have been fighting here for so many days,” he said.
Another person who also had the people cheering was a policeman who decided to publicly support the cause, and made a passionate speech in support of jallikattu.
“There are children in this world who have grown up without drinking their mother’s milk. But is there a child anywhere who has grown up without the cow’s milk?” he asked, making the point that jallikattu is important to preserve the native cattle breeds of Tamil Nadu.
Speech of Policeman at #Marina #Jallikattu. #JusticeforJallikattu #AmendPCA
— Kollywood Talks (@KollywoodTalks) January 21, 2017
pic.twitter.com/inuNR5NPEg
While the protests at Marina have entered the fifth day now, what is commendable is that the people who are part of the protests are not forgetting their humanity. Several people have commented on the way the protesters are helping each other out, and this video is testimony to the fact. Without the need for a leader to organise them, the people at the protest site are volunteering to distribute food, water - and also tender coconut to those waiting for a solution to the jallikattu issue.
Watch: The spirit of sharing among volunteers and protesters at Chennai's Marina Beach #Jallikattu pic.twitter.com/jcV5aQ846W
— NDTV (@ndtv) January 20, 2017
Not enough can be said about the sense of responsibility of those volunteering to keep Marina clean. They have picked up the trash, making sure that the people’s movement is not seen as a movement that has forgotten its civic duties.
WATCH: Pro-jallikattu protesters are setting an example by keeping Marina Beach clean pic.twitter.com/mWx0PSMBqz
— Times of India (@timesofindia) January 19, 2017
The protesters - the responsible, peaceful, determined people of Tamil Nadu - are making sure that their detractors have very little to pick on. The humans of Marina have proved that the real heroes that the country needs are its citizens - who will rise up in huge numbers for a cause they all believe in, and stay the course till they achieve what they want to.