Hip Hop Tamizha’s Slipper Shot To PETA

Hip Hop Tamizha’s Slipper Shot To PETA

Recently, Hip Hop Tamizha released a video called Takkaru Takkaru, campaigning for jallikattu to be legalized. The video is about how the bulls are considered to be like `sons’, and about how banning the sport can deeply impact the local business (supporters of the sport insist that banning the sport in totality would lead to the demise of native Indian breeds of bulls), and increase the business for foreign breeders instead. There are also references as to how much the sport is an integral part of Tamil culture. Earlier this year, the Centre made an attempt to legalise jallikattu, but the Supreme Court stayed the Centre’s notification in the case.

Responding to the video, the associate manager of campaigns for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Bhuvaneshwari Gupta, says, “I am sure the public knows bet ter than to take misinformation about jallikattu from a fictional music video as fact, but even this video shows bulls being pulled with ropes painfully pierced through their noses, and a scene with a terrified bull forced into a crowd. As found during government authorised inspections at numerous jallikattu events, the sport is inherent ly cruel and to make matters worse, participants purposely disorient the bulls by forcing them to consume alcohol; twist and bite their tails; stab and jab them with sickles, spears, knives and sticks; cause them intense pain by yanking their nose ropes; and punch them, jump on them and drag them to the ground. Jallikattu has also caused injuries and deaths of hundreds of human participants, and even some spectators.Hip Hop Tamizha is better off sticking to just making music, because factual accuracy is not their strong point. Respecting bulls is true Tamil culture, not inflicting pain on them and making them suffer.”

After a week, HipHop Tamizha finally breaks his silence and responds to PETA’s criticism of the short film. In his latest interview to Tamil Hindu, HipHop Tamizha said “PETA has asked me to stick to just making music, Even though i am in the film industry, i embarked into music for a social cause. Most of my works revolve around social issues and my last independent release “Vaadi Pulla Vadi” was also against casteism and honour killings. If PETA thinks that i as an artist should stick to just making music, then the only question that comes to my mind is, what is a foreign organisation like PETA doing in India”.