No roar on the muddy track as Maramadi, Kerala’s bull surfing contest, misses another year

For decades, the thunderous sound of hooves, the splashing of muddy water and the deafening roar of crowds were a hallmark of Independence Day celebrations in Anandappally, a village near Adoor in Pathanamthitta. The annual spectacle known as Maramadi, or bull surfing, featured pairs of bulls racing down a 100-metre muddy track while riders held on to planks, with spectators joining in the festivities.

The traditional event, which coincided with the harvest season, celebrated farming culture and brought together farmers, cattle and mud in a display of rural grit, skill and tradition. However, despite years of efforts to revive it, Maramadi will once again be absent from the Palassery polders this year, marking the 14th consecutive year of its absence.

The Anandappally Karshaka Samithi (AKS), the event organizers, face a legal hurdle as the Assembly passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Kerala Amendment) Bill during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's tenure. The amendment, modeled after Tamil Nadu's legalisation of Jallikattu in 2017 and Karnataka's exemption for Kambala in 2018, aimed to provide legal protection to traditional cattle races.

However, the procedures for the amendment were not completed, leaving organizers uncertain about whether the Bill received the President's assent. Varghese Daniel, president of the AKS, expressed disappointment, stating that all attempts to ascertain the legislation's status had been unsuccessful. Maramadi has been an integral part of Anandappally's agricultural heritage since 1950, when the first race took place.

At its peak, the race attracted over 60 bull pairs from eight districts and thousands of spectators, including foreign tourists. The event, however, has been on hold since 2008 when the Centre imposed a ban on such events due to concerns over animal cruelty during the Jallikattu controversy.