Jallikattu, is a sport where contestants have to hold on to the hump of a bull for the longest time, and try to calm it. As dangerous as it sounds, it has been a Tamil tradition, and people of Tamil Nadu have taken the streets of Chennai, to protest against banning the sport.

For some people of Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu is not just a sport, or centuries old tradition, but it is also the source of their livelihoods. Only Bos inidcus bulls are bred for Jallikattu, and it is an important ceremony for these bulls. After they are well-fed, and trained, they participate in the sport, and depending on their performance in Jallikattu, they are picked for mating with cows, the breed lives on. Also, when native bulls mate with pure breed cows, the cows give A2 milk, which is less in quantity but is full of nutrients, easy to digest for those who are lactose intolerant and allergy-free for kids, but is costlier than A1 milk.

The difference between A1, and A2 milk is the kind of protein found in it, known as beta-casein. Casein is a phosphoprotein, and constituents to 80% of protein in cow’s milk. Well, in our regular A1 milk, both A1, and A2 beta-casein are found, where A1 is generally higher than A2. In A2 milk, A2 beta-casein is high and it mainly comes from pure breed cattle. But did you know casein is also used in paints, glue, plastics, and fiber.

In a study, researchers proved that people who consumed A2 milk as part of regular diet reported less bloating, and lower abdominal pain, as compared to those who had A1 milk.

However, while responding to a public interest disclosure, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found no relationship between chronic diseases and drinking milk with the A1 protein. But a company, A2 Corporation, founded in New Zealand in the early 2000s has already commercialized ‘A2 Milk’ as a premium milk that is healthier due to the lack of peptides from A1.

A2 milk was first marketed some time in 2003 by A2 milk Company and since then, it is being exported to countries like Australia, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom.

If the ban against Jallikattu is not removed, people of Tamil Nadu are afraid the pure breeds won’t survive. It will be expensive for the cattle herder to care of the native bulls, and eventually the breed will go extinct.

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Want to know more about Jallikattu

What is Jallikattu? Why is there a controversy around it?

Jallikattu is banned under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960

Caught between prevention of cruelty and protecting tradition and local breeds, students take up the cause of Jallikattu

Jallikattu gets a go-ahead, to be conducted tomorrow after three years

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