THE BULL THAT WON THE RACE

THE BULL THAT WON THE RACE

Marimuthu couldn’t fathom his own enthusiasm this time for the bullfight. His bull kariappa standing next to him looked as virile as its owner. Tall well built with his hump of strong muscles gleaming and throbbing under the black and white skin. The sharpened horn looking menacingly venomous, kariappa was a true veteran in the bullfight. It was the fourth year in succession it was entering the bull fight in that village in south arcot Tamilnadu conducted regularly every year just after the harvest and the festive ‘pongal’ in mid January. It had always come unscathed from the boisterous carnival where spirits and temper ran high and bull and men used to get injured in scores. It was but Marimuthu the owner entering the foray for the first time sweltering in the expectancy of the event.

To this time Marimuthu had always been an amused spectator where as his father Velayudam, the man feared by the entire village with his roaring voice and military moustache had pampered and tamed the bull with very great care and enthusiasm for the great event of the year. This year the onus fell upon Marimuthu after the untimely death of Velayudam last year. His death to this day was shrouded in mystery. It was very strange in a perfectly familiar landscape how Velayudam fell in the open unguarded well. His body was found floating the next day. Marimuthu was called in great urgency where he was assiduously studying for his Engineering. All that was eight months back. Now Marimuthu against his intention was at the village in charge of the affairs of the family, land and now this bullfight.

He had started preparing the bull full two months back, as was the custom but with a lackadaisical spirit more as a duty to be dispensed with. All that changed when his eyes fell upon ‘Chingari the only lass who had seen school final in the village. However it was not that education which attracted him to Chingari.

He saw her for the first time in the fair, a nubile form with a smooth black complexion bend over the conch shell dolls displayed in the fair. Marimuthu was himself in the fair admiring the dolls when somebody called her from far ‘oh Chingari’ she turned and gave a bewitching smile which in a shot stole his heart. Marimuthu left the fair early following Chingari all the while discretely from a distance. Soon he knew everything about Chingari. The only daughter of the wealthy Mirazudar chidambaram, she seems to be the apple of the eye of her father. He also came to know chidambaram was searching high and low for a groom for his darling daughter and only the best and most eligible will come under his scrutiny.

However as passions of youth cannot be bridled for long, the inevitable happened. Marimuthu and Cchingari met one another and soon their love blossomed. The pleasant young man rippling with youth and vitality found a fitting partner in the vivacious Chingari. The young passions met each other at the verdant riversides, behind the temples, in the fields, in the thick coconut groves secretly, furtively which only incensed them and vowed undying love for one another.

There was a lot at stake for Marimuthu at this sporting event. Though Marimuthu had wealth and education to boot, he was determined to display his valor too at this great event and prove himself worthy of Chingari in every way. Training the bull gained meaning and impetuous to Marimuthu. He had been regularly running with the bull at the riverside. Now standing there gearing for the event his bare chested body glistening with sweat after a rigorous work out of his bull he seemed all set for the event so was Kariappa grunting and fuming ready to charge and had to be kept in leash with difficulty by Marimuthu. Cries, bellows and shouts rent the air, the entire village in row seem to have emptied in to the arena. He could spit half a dozen man with their lungis tucked high clutching their bull waiting for the signal to start.

His heart was beating fast, his eyes roved anxiously to spot Chingari. The ladies in-group had assembled in rooftops and balconies. After some futile search his eyes caught Chingari in her red and yellow half sari almost at the edge of the terrace in the street opposite. She gave her bewitching smile filling Marimuthus heart with a charged enthusiasm to win and whatever nervousness he had seemed to disappear.

The shrill whistle blew announcing the start of the event. The bulls were let loose by the owner in to the arena. In a second the charged bulls were over one another. It was a ghastly sight. The horns interlocked panting and fuming they were attacking one another. Soon it was mass of bleeding bodies. Three of the bulls had fallen down injured. However Kariappa stood the ground. There was still not a mark or scratch on its body. It was in a frenzy attacking the white bull of Chockalingam. The crowd was prodding them on. Any little semblance of order was lost by now. There was very little leeway for the bulls to move as the crowd had entered the arena and egging the bulls from all sides. The bulls were getting frenzied. The fight had by now entered the by lanes the crowd started running amok in front and back of the bulls.

When Marimuthu was trying to keep pace with the charged Kariappa it happened. The wall of the terrace where Chingari and other girls were standing gave way and the girls along with the brick and mortar came hurling down. As he looked up he saw his own Chingari falling. He shrieked and howled, pushing the milling crowd around somehow he reached site. There was Chingari lying unconscious under his feet. He lifted her tenderly, as the authorities closed in he claimed her to be his wife and brought her out of the suffocating crowd. He ran with her to the hospital. Chingaris pulse was almost faint. Luckily the Drs took over immediately and no efforts were spared to revive her back. Meanwhile the news reached chingaris parents. Mr. and Mrs. Chindambaram came in great panic to the hospital.

Marimuthus gallant act of saving their darling daughter from near death won their heart much more than any acts of valor. Marimuthu and Chingaris parents kept a continues vigil near the bedside. Late in the evening when Chingari opened her eyes she found her slender hands firmly held by her ardent lover while her anxious parents gave a sigh of relief and look approvingly at the pair. Marimuthu and chingari soon embraced each other in wedlock and he was ever thankful to his bull Kariappa which in a way helped him to win the race in love.