It is that time of the year again: the paddy has just been harvested, the stems of sugar cane have been freshly cut, fresh milk and rice boil in pots and the bulls somehow know it’s their time. Pongal ...

The rules are simple for a sport that’s about 2,000 years old. If the contestant manages to hold on to a bull for a distance of 30 feet without being shaken off, then he is declared the winner.

In C.S. Chellappa’s Tamil novel, Vaadivaasal (the place of entry for bulls in an arena), there is a scene which captures the spirit of bull tamers in Tamil Nadu. After being gored by the invincible ...