Marina Puratchi (2019) - full transcript

'MARINA REVOLUTION'

Hello?

Send them in.

May I come in, sir?
- Yes, come in.

Sit down.
- Thank you, sir.

Sir...

This isn't an interview,
and I'm not your boss either.

Just consider this a
discussion between friends.

Tell me about yourself.

My name is Suganya.
I studied Visual Communication.

I'm a big fan of all the
shows on your TV channel.



It's my ambition to work in your company.
- Okay...

My name is Parthasarathy.
I studied Mechanical Engineering.

I want to become a director.

The Jallikattu protests
that happened some day back...

Did you participate in it?

Yes sir!
- We joined the protests.

What is Jallikattu?

Jallikattu is...

It's catching hold of the bull's horns...

bringing it under control,
and pinning it to the ground.

That's Jallikattu for you?

I think so...
- Parthasarathy?

I tend to agree with her.

Even in the film Murattu
Kaalai (Raging Bull),



that's how Superstar
Rajinikanth tamed the bull.

Wrong!

In the year 1965...

There were anti-Hindi imposition agitations
across Tamil Nadu...

Those protests were backed
by a political party.

After 52 long years,
a state wide protest of such scale...

has finally taken place
with the people's uprising.

Do you know who organized these protests?

No organizers, sir.

They all got together through social-media.

Wrong.

Why did this protest eventually
end in violence?

Anti-social elements hijacked
the protests.

The media we consume about political events
are scripted by the authorities and police.

Quite often, they end up
burying the truth.

For eight straight days,
withstanding the heat, cold, and rain...

a million Tamilians from all over the world
went to the streets and protested.

You need to find the answers
for a lot of questions.

Who initiated the Jallikattu protests?

Who organized such a massive crowd
from behind the scenes?

Who was the reason behind the protests
taking a violent turn in the end?

We need to unearth
the hidden truths.

This is your interview assignment.

Get an advance from Accounts,
and the camera from Admin.

We'll meet again fifteen days from now.

Learn all about Jallikattu
before you come.

All the very best.
- Thank you, sir.

All the best. Good luck.
- Thank you, sir.

So...

You must have investigated a lot
in these 15 days.

Did you learn what Jallikattu is?

We'll start off by explaining Jallikattu.

A special feature that
differentiates Tamil Nadu's native bulls

from bulls around the world
is the hump.

Catching hold of a bull's hump
is no easy task.

If a bull tamer catches hold of the bull's
hump and rides for for 50ft, he wins.

If the bull gets away from the bull-tamers
and escapes, then the bull wins.

How did Jallikattu start?

When our ancestors started
farming along river banks,

they domesticated bulls
to help with farm work.

The festival of Pongal
is celebrated after a

successful harvest to
thank Mother Nature.

Maattu Pongal is to thank the bull
as an equal and a friend.

Back then people ran and played
with the bulls they raised.

That was Jallikattu's starting point.

[Crowd Cheering]

There is a solid evidence to back
that Jallikattu since ancient times

The bull sigil in the
Delhi National Museum.

The sculptures in Salem Museum.

The coins recovered
at Korkai Harbor, Tutucorin.

Jallikattu isn't just a sport.

It is an integral part of Tamil culture,
and two pieces of evidence support that.

Azhagarthevar, a famed bull-tamer
died during Jallikattu.

A temple is built in Sorikampatti, Madurai
where he is revered like a god.

Another important evidence
that shows Jallikattu

is an integral part
of Tamil lives...

When a Jallikattu bull dies...

the last rites are performed with the same
piousness and dignity as a human's.

Appu was known as the Jallikattu Superstar.

When Appu died, his owner
proceeded to build a memorial.

Jallikattu has been an
integral part of Tamil movies

Jallikattu is going to begin in short time
Everybody maintain silence

now coming..
machakalai bull

those who have guts catch it

sundarapura zamindars
won the bull

[People Cheering]

Right now you all played
with 10 villages bulls

But finally
Bull is going to come now

no one is there to win this bull?

I will catch
your bull

Darling..

Darling..

The bull lost the game

Darling.. Don't leave

Pechi...Pechi...
you are a great Pechi

Pechi...Pechi...
you are a proud Pechi

Pechi...Pechi...
you are a great Pechi

Pechi...Pechi...
you are a proud Pechi

Come on Come on
My dear Pechi...

Come on Come on
My dear Pechi...

There is no other bull like
you in this entire 7 town

Ther is no proud talks like you
even in the unreachable villages

There is no other animal
like you who is so faithful

There is no other animal
like you who is so faithful

Listen to this singer's song
without getting angry on me

Listen to this singer's song
without getting angry on me

Come on Come on
My dear Pechi...

The Jallikattu Protests
instilled pride in 100

million Tamilians
living across the globe.

Eighteen people were the
reason behind its success.

These eighteen people were
responsible for arranging

food, cleaning trash,
regulating traffic...

and led the protest successfully
without even a bit of violence.

Who are these eighteen people?

We will get to it.
Be patient.

The Jallikattu protests should be
referred to as the Marina Revolution.

Because the first seeds for the protests
were planted in Marina Beach.

It happened on January 8th 2016, 7 a.m.

What happened on the morning of Jan 8th?

The answer lies on events
that unfolded on October 4th, 2016.

The Karnataka Government refused to give
TN's share of water from River Cauvery.

Despite the TN Govt's repeated requests,
the Central Govt did nothing about this.

The Supreme Court passed an order
granting TN's long standing demand...

to form the Cauvery Management Board.

While the Central Government
had initially agreed to this...

on October 4th, they refused to constitute
the Cauvery Management Board.

This upset Tamilians to a great extent.

Because, in the previous year...

unable to farm or repay bank loans,
161 farmers died in Tamil Nadu.

At such a time, Central Government's
decision upset the Tamil people.

November 8

The day which brought all classes
of the society out to the streets.

They claimed it would
wipe out black money...

But ones who actually
got wiped out were

small-business owners,
farmers, daily labourers.

From hunting for an ATM, finding
change for the new Rs. 2000 notes...

everyone was furious
with the ill-treatment by the Centre.

December 5th.

The day our ex-Chief Minister,
Jayalalithaa passed away.

She was admitted to Apollo Hospital
on September 22nd.

'What was she ailing from?'

'What treatments were given to her?'

'Was she cured or not?'

There were so many
unanswered questions during

her 75 day treatment
at the hospital...

and on December 5th, she was brought
to Rajaji Hall as a lifeless corpse.

The outrage it caused among the women
continued till the Jallikattu protests.

At a juncture where Jallikattu didn't
happen the previous years, 2015 and '16...

On 26th December 2016, the Jallikattu case
came to trial in the Supreme Court.

The entire state of TN hoped the Supreme
Court would lift the Jallikattu ban.

The judges ruled that
Jallikattu can't be

allowed in the name of
culture and tradition.

They adjourned the case
saying, "If you want

to tame an animal,
tame a lion instead."

On the same date came the first invitation
to participate in the Jallikattu protests.

Care & Welfare, an NGO, organized an event
called Save Jallikattu on 8th January 2017.

A walkathon from Light
House to Labour Statue.

After years of systematic neglect,
Tamilians responded on Jan 8 with strength.

Without the participation of any
political parties or cinema celebrities...

with the determination to preserve
their Tamil culture and identity...

over 22,000 people gathered at Marina.

Jallikattu is a heroic sport
that's a part of our tradition.

By enforcing a ban on our tradition,
we are losing our identity.

On the same day, there was a hunger
strike near Chepauk Stadium in Chennai...

with the slogan, 'A hunger strike to
save the farmer who feeds us all'

This is a 'one day hunger strike' to
support the farmers who feed our families.

We've put our jobs in the back-burner
and gathered here...

to thank them for their selfless work and
mourn for the farmers who lost their lives.

The Centre announced that Pongal won't
fall under the 'compulsory holiday list'.

The people of the corner state
were frustrated at being denied this, too.

They decided the only way to
make our feelings heard at Delhi...

would be to express it in Delhi
and conducted a pro-Jallikattu rally.

This was organized by Guna and Sathyaraj.

This issue would see
light only if people

understand, it's not just
a sport but a tradition.

Sathyaraj and I agreed to rally in Delhi.

We gathered a crowd of
about 500 to 700 people and

protested for 3 days
straight at Jantar Mantar.

'Yes, we are Tamilians' is a Facebook page.

This page has 143,000 followers.

The Admin of this page
is Sathish Singaravel.

We came up with the tag line
'My identity, my right.'

and designed a 'Save Jallikattu' poster

We posted it on 25th/26th
December in 'Chennai

Memes' Facebook page,
asking for people's support.

The response was overwhelming.

About 8,000 people Liked the post,
and it got thousands of Shares.

Many of them had commented, "You get
it started, bro... we will join you."

Jallikattu fever engulfs the state.

The youth got together
with the slogan...

"I don't know you, but if you support
Jallikattu, you are my friend"

That was the week
of Jallikattu rallies.

"Pull out the deadly blade"

"To decimate the evil acts"

"Oh Tiger in the cave"

"Come charging,
oh cultured Tamils"

"Tamila!!!"

One one side, Tamilians gathered in mass,
the Central Government was at a loss.

On January 11th,
Central Government refused to

pass an emergency ordinance
permitting Jallikattu.

Everyone got extremely pissed off.

The next day, it was evident that
Coimbatore people were most pissed.

On 12th January,
there was a pro-Jallikattu rally

organized in Codissia
Grounds, Coimbatore.

It was some crowd,
and the guys rocked it.

This was organized
by eight people.

My name is Bharath Ram.
I work in the textile industry in Tiruppur.

I was one of the
organizers of the

pro-Jallikattu rally
organized in Coimbatore.

'A bull that doesn't run, and a culture
that doesn't revolt shall perish'

Their intention isn't
to abolish Jallikattu.

Their ulterior motive is to completely
destroy the farming industry behind it.

But we're protesting to protect
Jallikattu and agriculture.

We'll make it happen!
- Jallikattu will happen.

"Jallikattu is merely a case to you.
But it's the Tamil way of life."

To make it clear to the ones who pretended
not to understand that emotion,

...on 13th January, at Marina Beach,
yes! the same place again...

a human chain protest
was organized by a woman.

Her name is Senba.

They show some clippings
of the bull being

stabbed, tail being pulled...
that's foul play.

We have so many rules for Jallikattu.

Without knowing any of
the rules they think the

sport is about pulling
tails and stabbing bulls.

I think they're looking at it
from a wrong viewpoint.

We looked at the people who sowed the seeds
for the Jallikattu protests.

Now we're going to talk about the real
person behind the Marina Revolution.

Who was it?
- IAS Officer Sagayam.

Sagayam?

What did Sagayam have to do
with the protests at all?

Sagayam IAS is an honest collector.

The first IAS Officer to
declare his assets in public.

All those who held him in high regard
held a conference...

requesting him to
contest in the elections.

"I won't enter politics."

"Those who hold me in high esteem can
form an organization and serve the people."

"I will support you",
said Sagayam.

Under the auspices of Sagayam,
his supporters formed 'People's Path'

Vikram, for The People's Path.
Ashok, for The People's Path.

Sathish, from Kuwait.
Ram, from Pudukottai.

Thirukkumaran for 'The People's Path'

Saravanan from Madurai.
Jeevanandam from Erode.

Satish Perumal from Salem.

Kumar from Kuwait

Alexander from Saudi Arabia.

Cholan - Singapore.

The State Govt wasn't prepared to make
a bold move to appease public emotion.

There were just 2 days left.

That's when People's Path announced
a protest.

'Alanganallur Shall Rise'

Date : January 16th
Time : 10 a.m.

Location : The famed Jallikattu town
- Alanganallur.

This was organized by Umar Mukthar.

I entered the scene on January 15th
with my friends...

and we politicized the people there.

When I say 'politicized', I mean...

All these years, their protest was just
about one thing - banning PETA.

But we made them aware
of the full situation.

Alanganallur was gripped with tension.
Cops all over the place.

The cops got it in writing from the bull
owners, that their bulls won't be untied.

They comically went as far as providing
police protection for the bulls!

On the dawn of the 16th...

The cops set up check posts on all
entry points leading to Alanganallur.

They set up thorough inspections to prevent
outsiders from joining the protests.

They'd be caught by the police
if they come in vehicles.

So the youth came up with a brilliant plan.

They stopped their vehicles midway

and entered Alanganallur by walking several
kilometers through the fields and forests.

The Arena Gates (Vaadivaasal)
was surrounded by raging people.

The Government and the police failed
to understand the youth's mindset.

What coursed through the veins
of every person out there

at Alanganallur was not
just blood - it was Tamil.

The women there didn't breathe just oxygen.
It was Tamil.

The next mistake the cops made -
underestimating the youngsters.

The cops thought this was
another 9-5 protest...

They thought,
"We'll arrest them at noon."

"Round them up in a community hall,
and feed them tomato rice and curd rice."

"They'd eat,
and quietly go home by evening."

Even after 6pm, not one person
left the protest scene.

Jallikattu is a traditional sport that
Tamilians participate in during Pongal.

Making families stay up
day and night without

food or water,
to fight for our tradition...

...it amounts to cruelty.

The people behind this cruel Jallikattu ban
are two Tamilians.

Tamilians?

You're touching a
sensitive issue here.

Do you have evidence to
support your allegations?

I do, sir.

We're all under the impression that PETA
is behind the Jallikattu ban.

But the organization that filed a case
against Jallikattu before PETA...

the organization that fought alongside PETA
in the legal battle against Jallikattu..

is the Animal Welfare
Board of India (AWBI).

The ex-vice chairman of this organization
is Chinny Krishna. A Tamilian.

He studied in IIT Madras.

He owns Seshasayee Paper
Mills and Ponni Sugars.

When the court banned Jallikattu,
this good Samaritan reveled in happiness!

Who is the other person?

The lawyer who represented
PETA and AWBI in the

case against Jallikattu
- Mr. Aryama Sundaram.

A Tamilian.

He is one of the most expensive lawyers
in India.

He represents the Cricket Board,
and businessmen like Ambani.

This is shocking.

Okay.

Why were they against Jallikattu?

What connects them to PETA?

PETA was established in the American state
of Virginia in the year 1980.

It was founded by Ingrid Newkirk
and Alex Pacheco.

*PETA's slogan is,"Animals are
not ours to eat, wear, experiment

on, use for entertainment,
or abuse in any other way."

From half-nude protests to naked runs,
their aggressive media campaigns...

boosted PETA's popularity in America.

The kind souls who
considered the welfare of

animals more important
than human survival...

started pouring in the donations.

PETA's annual income is
2.44 billion Indian Rupees.

Ingrid expanded her PETA business
into a chain of franchises in...

Germany, Brazil, The Netherlands,
United Kingdom, France, and so on.

That was the period of
The New Economic Policy in India.

Ingrid Newkirk found two naive Indians -
Chitrabhanu Shah and Hiren Naresh Kara...

to act as Board of Directors,
and founded PETA India.

On one side, they were racking the brains
for ideas to market PETA in India...

and on the other side, Chinny Krishna
is determined to ban Jallikattu.

PETA spend 30 percent
of their annual income

on marketing and PR
in other countries.

So, PETA's money started flooding in...

and Animal Welfare Board changed into
American Welfare Board.

PETA's objectives aren't
just to about killing

native cows and taking
over the milk market...

main objective is
religious conversion.

This is called Project Thessalonica.

By destroying people's local
culture and tradition...

they alienate people from their religion.
That's Project Thessalonica.

The military use camels and horses.

The police use dogs to sniff out bombs.

But PETA aren't bothered about that.

They only target religious
traditions like Jallikattu,

Kambala,
goat slaughter during Bakrid etc.

Project Thessalonica
doesn't sound believable at all.

Do you have any further evidence?
- Yes, ma'am.

The first person to pass a court judgment
banning Jallikattu was Justice Banumathy.

Muniyandithevar went to
the High Court in Madurai,

requesting permission to conduct
Rekla races in his village.

Justice Banumathy,
who presided over this case,

didn't listen to any
argument or defense...

and banned all three
traditional sports -

Rekla Race, Jallikattu,
and Manju Virattu...

on the same day the case came to court...

This raises our suspicions about
Project Thessalonica.

PETA is an American NGO.

How did PETA get the audacity to stop a
traditional festival in OUR country, India?

Partha, you have to take this one!

Now we see Mr. Chinny Krishna's antics.

Poorva Joshipura is
PETA India's ex-CEO.

She's an American citizen.

This woman was admitted
as a member in AWBI,

an organization under
Government of India.

by Chinny Krishna.

That is, he appoints an American citizen
in a position to question the Indian Govt.

In 2008, AWBI filed a
case against Jallikattu

through ex-minister,
Maneka Gandhi.

The court banned Jallikattu.

The Tamil Nadu Government
responded by passing

the Regulation of
Jallikattu Act in 2009.

The highlights of Tamil Nadu Regulation
of Jallikattu Act, 2009 are...

Prior permission to be obtained
from the District Collector.

An advance of at least 200 thousand
has to be paid as a safety deposit.

All participants shall wear uniforms.

Sick or ill bulls shall not
participate in the event.

Sufficient safety measures and precautions
have to be arranged.

These were some of the important points
addressed.

In 2011,
PETA and Chinny Krishna asked for

actress Hema Malini's
help to ban Jallikattu.

Claiming animals were harmed in Jallikattu,
and requesting an immediate ban...

she wrote a letter to
the Congress Minister for

Environment and Forests,
Mr. Jairam Ramesh.

He was all for it,
and said...

"It's a barbaric tradition,
I'll ban Jallikattu."

He did something that
1.1 billion Indians never thought of.

He released a notification.

In the list of performing
animals that included

lions, tigers, bears,
monkeys and leopards...

bulls were added to the list.

Legal experts observe the tact
behind the specifics in the case of cattle.

That is, the gender for
lions, tigers, bears,

monkeys or leopards
weren't specified...

but in the case of cattle,
they had specifically mentioned 'bulls'.

In recognition of her services, Hema Malini
was named 'PETA Person of the Year 2011'

At this time, the Congress-DMK coalition
was in power.

What was Hema Malini's gripe
with Jallikattu?

Why did she write that letter?

Hema Malini, Aryama Sundaram,
Jairam Ramesh, and Chinny Krishna.

All are 'those' people.
My clan (caste).

After the Tamil Nadu Government
appealed at the Supreme Court..

Jallikattu happened in 2012 and 2013
with several restrictions in place.

Enter Mr. Chinny Krishna.
Again!

The Animal Welfare Board had submitted
a video to the Supreme Court.

"Bulls were being tortured
eyes smeared with chilli powder..."

"forced to drink alcohol, having their
tails bitten..."

"Bulls are being roughed
up to enrage them."

Those were some of the allegations
made in the video.

Without verifying the authenticity
of the video submitted...

The Supreme Court
passed a court order on May 24th, 2014.

Supreme Court Judge, K.S.
Panicker

Radhakrishnan,
banned Jallikattu permanently.

Honouring his efforts, he was named
PETA India's Man of the year 2014.

The first person to fight
against the Jallikattu ban,

and campaign for protection
of native breeds...

was Karthikeya Sivasenapathy.

The UN recommends safeguarding
of traditional culture and folklore.

India has signed the treaty, too.

We thought this point has to be raised
at the Supreme Court...

So we arranged a meeting in 2012,
at Madurai.

We invited all the different groups and
organizations associated with Jallikattu.

Musician Adhi released a music video
in support of Jallikattu.

It was a huge hit among youngsters.

Takkaru.. Takkaru.. Takkaru

"This is my town."

Takkaru.. Takkaru.. Takkaru

"Try and mess with me."

"These are the games played by
international corporates, politicos"

"Ban this game and our native bulls perish,
MNCs sales will multiply."

Jallikattu didn't happen in 2015.

In 2016, Ms. Jayalalithaa,
then CM of TN wrote a letter as usual.

The Central Government
released a notification on Jan 7th 2016.

Inserting a clause specifically for bulls.

At events such as Jallikattu
and Rekla races in states such as...

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala,
Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat...

due to the traditional and cultural
background of these events...

they modified the old list, allowing bulls
to be used in these traditional sports.

Chinny Krishna was enraged.

He called it contempt of court and appealed
at the Supreme Court.

It's like the snake around Lord Siva's neck
asking the Lord, "How are you?"

Supreme Court issued a stay on the
Central Government notification.

So Jallikattu didn't happen in 2016 either.

The Alanganallur protest continued
past evening. That's where we left off?

What happened next?

Campaigning to revoke
the Jallikattu ban,

Maheshwari traveled
through the state on bike.

I started travelling on January 2nd...

Start from Pondicherry and via
Chennai-Vellore-Krishnagiri-Coimbatore...

Madurai-Kumbakonam
and back to Pondicherry...

That was the 4 day plan.

I covered 2083 km.

I met about 8000 people.

Not one of these 8000 people
were against Jallikattu.

The Tamil people's mindset was...

We don't want food, but we want rights. We
don't want water, but we want our culture.

We don't want a house,
but we want cows.

This was the sole objective
of the protest that day.

"We want Jallikattu"

To disperse the crowd, the first thing
the cops did was cut off the power supply.

The place was slowly engulfed in darkness.

As time passed by,
we were hungry.

Some guys went out looking for hotels, but
we didn't find any open ones at that time.

The police also started blocking the
supply of food brought from outside.

We really suffered.

When we were helpless out there,
we decided to use Facebook.

All the media channels are right here,
but no one wants to talk to them.

I'm giving you a live update now.

There are 300 of us here,
struggling without food or water.

We need your help.

I'm appealing to you all...

share as much as you can
and join hands with us.

That video would make
anyone with a conscience think.

The police made their 3rd mistake.

"What is our fault,
but for being Tamil?"

"You are making us suffer with our children
in the cold night.", for asking that...

including Umar Mukthar and Maheshwari,
they arrested 215 people.

They segregated the men and women.

Nine men had accompanied us.

They split our team and held us
at different places.

Their plan was to separate us.

But we all went on a hunger strike.
None of us ate a morsel.

Seeing this heartbreaking news on TV, eight
people decided to do something about it.

The Chief Minister was
scheduled to arrive at Marina

on 17th morning for MGR's
100th birth anniversary.

We decided to protest at Marina
and submit our demands directly to him.

After finalizing on Marina Beach, we had
shortlisted three locations on the beach.

We chose Vivekananda House
because it was a very popular landmark.

We posted an update on Facebook
the previous night...

appealing to people to join our protest
the next day.

It went viral, and by morning
we had over 6500 Shares.

It was 5am, and the time passed by...

But by 8am, there were around 200 people.

To stabilize the crowd there,
we came up with the idea of a flash mob.

We gathered in groups of 10
at the parking area...

making it look like we're there
just to visit the beach.

We had to come up with a strategy
to make it work.

We split up in groups
and went live on Facebook.

We've gathered here at
Marina Beach in Chennai,

in solidarity for our
people in Alanganallur...

We stand with all Tamilians.

We have decided to protest for Jallikattu.
It is our right.

The point of this gathering is to express
our support from Chennai.

So we'll be waiting till 9 am.

I request office folks to drop in
for an hour before you go to work.

If we settle down,
the cops will nab us within 5 minutes.

Despite that, we're waiting here
hoping you'd all turn up.

We are waiting for our support.
Come here, and we shall protest.

Tamils desperately need to prove ourselves
at this point.

Jallikattu is our birth right.

Jallikattu is our birth right.

Jallikattu is our birth right.

The police threatened to arrest us if
we didn't disperse within 10 minutes.

About 5 of us decided
to march ahead anyway...

As we marched, a pregnant lady
stepped forward and said,

"You'll have to arrest me first,
before you touch the guys."

When she said that,
the cops didn't know what to do.

They stood there stumped,
and our protests gained strength.

We are voicing their frustrations.

They are dependent on our support.

Jallikattu is our birthright!
Jallikattu is our birthright!

At 10 am, it was 500 people.
At 11:30, it was 700.

...and by 1pm there were over a
thousand people. Marina was in the mood!

Jallikattu is my birthright!

Jallikattu is my birthright!

Jallikattu is my birthright!

As soon as we entered Vaadipatti, we left
the cops outside and locked ourselves in.

We started a hunger strike.

When we heard about the increasing numbers
in Marina, we were clear about one thing.

The news spread around the world that
"Students have been arrested"...

and all Tamilians were reacting to it.

We decided that the longer we were in
there, our protest would grow in strength.

As the news spread through
Facebook, youngsters

gathered in Coimbatore
too, at VOC Park.

Release the students!

We condemn it...
- We condemn it.

[Crowd Protesting]

The crowd started gathering in Madurai
at Thamukkam Ground.

We want Jallikattu!

"We are proud to be Tamils"

"We are Tamils"

"We are proud to be Tamils"

"We breath and breed Tamil"

"We breath and emote Tamil"

"It's our nature
and thus succeeded"

"We are Tamils"

"We are proud to be Tamils"

"We are Tamils"

"We are proud to be Tamils"

Tamizhan

"We are Tamils"

"Oh Tamils"

Many album songs were
composed for Jallikattu

Jallikattu song composed by
GV Prakash

Jallikattu Song
'Parada Da'

Jallikattu Song
'Parada Da'

Jallikattu Song. Sung by
Anuradha Sriram

Jallikattu Song. Sung by
Anuradha Sriram

Jallikattu Song
'Enga Veetukula'

Jallikattu song sung during
protest

Jallikattu Song
'Paraigal Muzhanga'

Jallikattu Song
'Paraigal Muzhanga'

Jallikattu Song
'Tamizha Nee'

Jallikattu Song
'Tamizha Nee'

Jallikattu Song
'Tamizha Nee'

Jallikattu Song
'Ondrai Kai Korthu'

These meme creators made
youngsters and women

sprung into action

At Marina, the youngsters were protesting
under the scorching heat.

No one from the Government
addressed them.

All of them were occupied
with something more important.

What could be more important?

It was MGR's 100th birth anniversary.

His movie 'Aayirathil Oruvan',
was released in digital format.

The entire cabinet was watching
the movie in theatre.

So no one turned up at Marina.

Even if half a dozen people congregate
there, the cops show up and inquire.

How did they let such a big mass gather?

It was a calculated political move.

As Parthasarathy mentioned,
it was MGR's 100th birth anniversary.

On that day, Jayalalithaa's niece, Deepa...

was scheduled to pay
her respects at MGR's

memorial,
and make an important announcement.

Our source from the
police department revealed

that they didn't disperse
the crowd hoping that...

the news of the protests would
overshadow Deepa's announcement.

I heard that the police
had cut off power

supply in Marina,
similar to Alanganallur...

how did the crowd handle that?

The youth in Marina gave a fitting reply.

The police won't dare touch the power
supply in any protest henceforth!

Check out our protest here at Marina -
lighting up the place with mobile torches!

[People Protesting]

What was the reason
for such crowds turning up?

The Tamil identity?

That was an important reason.

But there were other reasons, too.

A very innovative strategy was
used by Kavitha Pandian from America.

With pro-Jallikattu banners and posters...

Tamilians here decided to share photos
and videos through Facebook and WhatsApp.

It would reach Tamilians all over the world
and the Tamilians back home...

and create a sense of consciousness.

There are Tamilians in
countries we hardly know of.

When people like them
expressed their solidarity for

Jallikattu, it rallied the
masses for the protests.

Jallikattu protest hit
the headline world wide

What made the women
join the protests in such numbers?

Even back when Periyar
went in person to rally

the masses,
the numbers weren't this high.

The foreign methods of farming
has destroyed our soil.

Nammazhvar believed and
demonstrated that only

organic farming can save
the soil and its people.

The best manure is cow dung and urine.

Many farmers follow his ideology
and use natural farming practices.

In this protest to save our native bulls,
they joined in with their families.

[People Protesting]

You can't mess with Tamilians!

Down with PETA!

Abolish PETA!

You claim that we torture the animals...

Visit our town during Maattu Pongal.

Come and see how every household
worships the cow as God.

You dare accuse us of torturing cows?

[People Protesting]

Ban them! Ban them!
Ban PETA.

Release the students.

We will abolish PETA!

Women will protest
on par with men...

we're in this together!

Tamilians ingeniously converted
this protest into a festival

Despite the youth putting their foot down,
and refusing support...

the cinema celebrities and politicians
poured in with their support for the cause.

They say we're catching bulls,
and PETA will save them?

Another reason for the spread
of the protests was Jio Network.

They even erected a temporary tower
at Marina Beach!

Protesting against the lack of action
on the Jallikattu issue...

writer Lakshmi Saravanakumar, recipient
of Sahitya Akademi's Yuva Puraskar...

returned his award.

Policeman Muthazhagan, who was on
security duty at Marina Beach...

spoke in the mic in favour of Jallikattu
while still in his uniform

creating a feeling of solidarity
between Tamils.

You took the Jallikattu issue
all the way to Delhi...

did you keep your word?

Supporting Jallikattu protests, a bandh
was declared throughout Tamil Nadu

The thing that surprised many people...

and even got praised by the very national
media that ignored us Tamilians...

was the discipline observed in the protest.
How was that made possible?

There are 8 statues of people who
strived for the Tamil society.

Thiruvalluvar, Barathiyar,
Barathidasan, Kambar...

Ilangovadigal, Veerama Munivar,
Kamarajar, and Avvaiyaar.

They formed 8 volunteer teams
under these 8 names.

And each team took upon
specific responsibilities.

Jaliikattu was conducted against the ban
in Avaniyapuram, Madurai

Naam Tamilar Party conducted
Jaliikattu against the ban

It's not a petty protest

The Madurai folks were integral
toward the protests' success.

What did they do?

Every Tamilian heart was burning
to make Jallikattu happen.

But the Central Government took no action.

The Madurai people retaliated by
stopping a speeding train at its tracks.

They blocked the
train with the demand,

"Release our bulls,
we'll release the train."

The entire state was stunned.

With no choice left,
the Central Government intervened.

Who were the anti-national elements
who crept into the peaceful protests?

During the Jallikattu protests,
Tamil Nadu was run by two governments.

The ruling party which was
the Original Government. Let's call it OG.

The other was the Shadow Government.
Let's call it SG.

Both these parties were trying to claim
credit for solving the Jallikattu issue.

But only OG got the credit.

SG raked their brains to spoil the party.

During the protests, the Central Government
received most of the criticism.

The displeased Centre used Republic
Day Parade rehearsals as an excuse...

and passed an oral order asking
the crowd to disperse from the venue.

This was music to SG's ears.

They allied together with their friend,
I mean The People's Friend - the police...

and gave them an 'atrocity assignment.'

The emergency ordinance passed on
21st January permitting Jallikattu...

didn't please protestors.

Nor pleased Musician Adi, RJ Balaji,
Actor Lawrence, and Sivasenapathy.

Everyone refused to budge an inch,
demanding a permanent law.

We need a permanent solution!

When a bill is passed in the State
Assembly, gets the Center's approval...

and has the President's sign on it,
the bill becomes a law.

The public have lost the faith
they had on politicians.

They've been let down time and time again,

and they suspected they'd be cheated
this time, too.

So the lack of trust was the reason
for all the confusion that arose.

Also, the authorities could have just
showed the Government Order to the public.

I had a copy of it, and I tried
at Marina Beach...

But the crowd I addressed on the 19th
and the 22nd were very different.

People had changed.

Government made an attempt to conduct
Jallikattu on 22nd January

But the people did not support it

That's when the mood
of the protests changed.

Out of the blue, musician Adi
posted a video on his Facebook page

Some 10 guys came up to me and said,
"Come there and protest with us."

I wondered, how does it matter?
But they asked me to speak there instead.

I went there and saw,
there were strange things happening.

They were tampering with the national flag,
stamping on it...

and chants like,
"India, you have betrayed us."

Whatever happens, nothing can
change the fact that I'm a proud Indian.

I clearly told them I won't resort
to anti-National activities.

Then they went on mic and said,
"If you're a true Tamilian, fight with us."

I was deeply hurt by that...
seeing the turn the protests took.

This is the same song we heard
at Delhi and IIT Madras.

But there is an
interesting twist here.

Adi claimed the incident
happened at Coimbatore.

But the ones who were protesting with him
say such an incident never happened at all.

On the night of 22nd January, the
Jallikattu Council called for a press meet.

Kindled by a journalist's question,
Adi erupted at the press meet.

We've been protesting fairly
the last 5 days, that's fine!

My only fear is that, if something were to
happen tomorrow, guess what would happen?

Everyone will brand us five
as traitors to Tamil Nadu.

This will happen, right?

How did Adi know what
was going to happen the next day?

It raises doubt that he might have been
threatened by someone to post that video.

You claim he might have been threatened,
that's fine.

But our CM submitted evidence
of terrorists infiltrating the protests.

The same evidence was furnished
by the police department, too.

The men who rode the bike with
Bin-Laden sticker, they aren't terrorists?

Tamil Nadu Police is on par
with Scotland Yard.

This is something oft repeated
by our movie stars.

But when you dig into that Bin Laden photo,
it's obvious those dialogues aren't true.

I will reveal the true
story about the photo

The Tamil wing of the
Indian National League

organized a protest rally
on 2nd December 2016...

outside BJP's office.

This photo is from that rally.

The person who rode the
vehicle, Salaludeen,

works at a chicken
stall in Otteri.

These two guys were on the bike.

This was at Chennai, on 2nd December,
during the protest rally...

outside BJP's headquarters - Kamalalayam.

But we tore it and threw it away.
This wasn't during the Jallikattu protests.

They passed off a chicken
chef as a terrorist,

and made a fool
out of the public.

How did they choreograph these protests
to end in violence?

The first scene in SG's script
with violence in protests was done.

The second scene started on the 22nd,
at 5 pm.

The police woke up the sleeping protesters
forcing them to disperse.

This ordinance will be regularised
in a period of two days.

Cops announced that there was a

ruling in favour of Jallikattu.

And he asked us to disperse.

We asked them to show us whether it
was an emergency ordinance or not.

The paper had no sort of government seal
or appropriate signature on it.

We asked for clarity,
and agreed to leave only

if a permanent law is
brought into effect.

We condemn the Central Government.

The nature of protest gets changed
as the roads to Marina were blocked

We thought the police won't file a case
if we sing "Vande Mataram."

and they won't do anything
when we sing the National Anthem.

But what happened was...
I can't even get myself to say it.

INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

Vande Mataram!
Hail Mother India!

Vande Mataram!
Hail Mother India!

Vande Mataram!
Hail Mother India!

The three, who rose to fame
owing to Jallikattu protest

were absent when the cops
initiated the lathi charge

When the cops beat and chased us away,
we decided to run towards the sea.

Don't try to break us up,
we shall die together.

This is not a joke!
We won't give in!

The girls screamed, said they were being
violated, asked us to help.

Everyone from our slum
went in to help.

The students refused to move from the sea.

And the fisherfolk are there in support.

The police vent their anger
towards both of them.

"Jallikattu protests end in violence."
The headline was created right there.

We only asked for our basic right.

What wrong did we do?

There are ladies here...
Pregnant ladies are being pushed away.

They are beating us up. Is there no one
to question this injustice and brutality?

[People Protesting]

We didn't do anything wrong.

They beat us, swore at us, and chased us
saying we have no reason to protest.

We need justice... and answers
for the blood spilled.

The police asked us to leave at 5 a.m.

But the emergency ordinance was in place
by 5 in the evening.

We protested peacefully
for the first seven days...

don't we know to protest peacefully
in the last 12 hours?

What would have happened
in those 12 hours?

[People Protesting]

[People Protesting]

They dragged me into the college,
and some 15 guys thrashed me.

We saw how the Police dealt with
the situation peacefully in Trichy.

But in Marina, the Police Department
handled it with excess...

there was no need for that.

If they'd waited till evening,
the crowd would have left.

They needn't have done that.

The female cops with hankies around
their faces... they are no cops!

They had their faces covered,
and sprayed the liquid over our roofs.

We had to leave our fish and money behind,
and ran for our lives.

Who were the cops
who set fire?

The Tamil Nadu Government has appointed
retired Judge, Justice Rajeshwaran...

as the Head of the Inquiry Commission
to look into this issue.

Only after they submit their
final report and findings,

will we find the people responsible
for this, and the actions.

What were the reasons for the authorities
to resort to violence to end the protests?

On December 17th 2010,
a revolution broke out in Tunisia.

The people overthrew the
President, Ben Ali.

From there, the revolution spread to
the neighboring Egypt.

Hosni Mubarak was ousted
from his leader post.

Muammar Gaddafi,
the deposed leader of Libya,

was captured and
killed by the public.

This wave of revolution
that spread across the

Middle East is called
Jasmine Revolution.

This uprising to preserve one's identity,
must have rattled the ruling class.

They must have feared that this revolution
might topple the government.

If every state rose in protest
this way, they feared an uprising...

The authorities decided the only way out
was to give the protests a violent turn.

How did the protestors get the authorities
to pass the emergency ordinance into a law?

The riots spread through the city.

They threatened the
students with dire

consequences if they
refused to end the protests.

But the students didn't
abandon the protest.

When the Tamil Nadu Government
understood the students' mindset...

they unanimously passed
the Jallikattu bill in

the legislative assembly
on the very same day!

Despite the several scenes that happened,
like lathi charge, gunshots and arson...

the students were fearless, and dispersed
only after the law was passed.

The youth Tamil Nadu are rockstars.

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

Jallikattu Song
'Jallikattu Jallikattu'

You had mentioned there were 18 people
behind the Jallikattu protests...

Who are they?

The Jallikattu protests were started
by 8 people...

...and ended up creating
a million leaders.

These 18 people remain hidden
among the million leaders.

And they will create another
million leaders.

Okay!

Well done, guys.
Good work!

You can join work right away.
- Thank you, sir.

All the best.
- Thank you, sir.

'You may disrupt them,
but you can't divide them; These birds

by the seashore, they flock together...'
- Ajayan Bala