Cockfighting is an ancient sport that has managed to maintain its spot in the tribal hinterlands even in these modern times with people still taking interest in breeding fighter roosters.
Makar Sankranti, which the tribals of Odisha celebrate with great fanfare, coincides with a fading winter. Cockfights draw huge crowds in the tribal districts on this day. While it is quite common for the people in these areas to breed fighter cocks, there is one rooster at Ainri village under Balasore’s Soro block which has created quite a buzz in the area.
The rooster has been named ‘Tiger’ by its breeder Ganapati Biswal for which buyers are reportedly offering as much as Rs 30,000. More interestingly, Biswal named it after the famous movie Tiger starred by Salman Khan.
“People from neighbouring districts like Baripada, Balasore and Bhadrak come to me to purchase Tiger. Makar Sankranti is coming. So people are getting more and more interested in buying this rooster for cockfights. I sell 10-15 fighter roosters every year,” said Biswal.
Ganapti currently has 50 fowls in his farm, out of which 15 roosters are bred for cockfights.
Biswal’s son said, “We have been breeding it since 8-9 months. It now weighs around 4.7 kg. People from Kaptipada and Udala in Mayurbhanj had come to see it and offered us a handsome amount of money. But the deal has been finalised with a buyer from Baripada who offered us the highest Rs 30,000 for Tiger.”
The owners tie a small knife to the feet of their rooster which goes for the kill right from the word go. The fight typically results in the death of one of the birds. Roosters are trained for fights year-round.
As a tradition, the winner also takes the defeated cock with him, either injured or killed. He and his relatives feast on it at night.
Though banned across the state, cockfights are fairly common in the tribal belts during Makar Sankranti and authorities seldom interfere with the tradition. However, an incident had surprised people when the police detained two roosters following a raid during a cockfight at Dumaliguda village in Malkangiri district in December last year.