Getting in front of the bull was dangerous for it could gore you with its horns. Being at the back was equally dangerous for it could kick outwards with its formidable hind legs. Its side was the best place to be. Which is why, bulls were trained to dash across, giving men less time to try and grab from the two sides.
But this gaur-zebu bull simply sauntered out. Supremely sure of its abilities. Vali, who was waiting beside the gate, hidden from view, leapt up as soon as the bull emerged. Considering Vali was nearly one-and-a-half feet shorter than the bull, it was a tribute to his supreme physical fitness that he managed to get his arms around the bull’s massive hump as he landed. The bull was startled. Someone had dared to hold its hump. It started bucking wildly. Bellowing loudly. Banging its hooves hard on the ground. Suddenly, showing awe-inspiring dexterity, it whirled almost a complete circle with monstrous speed. Vali lost his grip. He was flung away.
The bull suddenly calmed down. It stared at the prone Vali, snorted imperiously and began walking away. Slowly. Towards the exit. Staring into the crowds, nonchalantly.
Someone from the crowd shouted an encouragement to Vali. ‘Come on! Get up!’
The bull looked at the crowd and stopped. It then turned towards the lake, presenting its backside to the crowd. It slowly raised its tail and urinated. Then, maintaining its blasé demeanour, it started walking again. Towards the exit. Just as leisurely.
Lakshman laughed softly, as he shook his head. ‘Forget about baiting this bull. The bull is, in fact, baiting us!’
Ram tapped Lakshman on his shoulder. ‘Look at Vali. He’s getting up.’
Vali banged his fists hard on his chest and sprinted ahead. Light on his feet. His long hair flying in the wind. He came up from behind the bull.
‘This man is a maniac!’ said Lakshman, worried but animated. ‘That bull can crush his chest with a single blow from its hind legs!’
As Vali came close to the bull, he jumped up, soaring high. He landed on top of the bull. The surprised beast, which hadn’t seen Vali come up from behind, bellowed loudly and went up on its hind legs. Trying to shake the king off. But Vali held on firmly. Screaming at the top of his lungs!
The outraged bull roared. Louder than the man who clung to it. Letting its front legs fall to the ground, it lowered its head and bucked wildly. But Vali held on, screaming all the time.
The bull suddenly leapt into the air and shook its body. It still could not get rid of the man holding on desperately to its hump.
The entire crowd had fallen silent. In absolute awe. They had never seen a Jallikattu match last so long. The only sounds were the loud bellows of the bull and the roars of Vali.
The bull leapt up again and readied to fall to its side. Its weight would have crushed Vali to death. He quickly let go of the bull. But not fast enough.
The bull landed on its side. Vali escaped the bulk, but its front legs lashed Vali’s left arm. Lakshman heard the bone crack from where he stood. To his admiration, Vali did not scream in pain. The bull was up on its feet in no time and trotted away. From a distance, it looked at Vali. Anger blazing in its eyes. But it kept its distance.
‘The bull is angry,’ whispered Ram. ‘I guess it has never had a human go so far.’
‘Stay down,’ said Sita, almost willing Vali to remain on the ground.
Lakshman stared at Vali silently.
If a man remained curled up on the ground, unmoving like a stone, a bull normally would not charge. But if he stood up …
‘Fool!’ hissed Sita, as she saw Vali rising once again, his bloodied and shattered left arm dangling uselessly by his side. ‘Stay down!’
Lakshman’s mouth fell open in awe. What a man!
The bull too seemed shocked and enraged that the man had risen once again. It snorted and shook its head.
Vali banged his chest repeatedly with his right fist and roared loudly, ‘Vali! Vali!’
The crowd too began shouting.
‘Vali!’
‘Vali!’
The bull bellowed loudly, and banged its front hooves hard on the ground. A warning had been given.
Vali banged his chest again, his shattered left arm swinging uselessly by his side. ‘Vali!’
The bull came up on its hind legs and bellowed once again. Much louder this time. Almost deafeningly loud.
And then, the beast charged.
Lakshman jumped over the fence, racing towards the bull at the same time.
‘Lakshman!’ screamed Ram, as he and Sita also leapt over and sprinted after Lakshman.
Lakshman ran diagonally, bisecting the path between Vali and the animal. Luckily for the prince of Ayodhya, the bull did not see this new threat.
Lakshman was much taller than Vali. He was also far more bulky and muscular. But even Lakshman knew that brute strength was useless against this gargantuan beast. He knew he would have only one chance. The bull’s horns were unlike the pure zebu breed; pure zebu bulls had straight, sharp horns which worked like blunt knives while goring. The gaur-zebu bull’s horns, on the other hand, were curved upwards, making a hollow in the upper part of the head.
The bull was focused on Vali. It had lowered its head and was thundering towards him. It didn’t notice Lakshman come up suddenly from the side. Lakshman leapt forward, timing his jump to perfection, pulling his legs up. As he soared above the bull’s head, he quickly reached out with his hand and yanked the bag off the horns. For that split second, the bull kept charging forward and Lakshman’s feet came in line with the bull’s head. He pushed out with his legs. Hard. Effectively using the bull’s head as leverage, he bounced away. Lakshman’s weight and size were enough to push the head of the bull down. As he bounded away, rolling on the field, the bull’s head banged into the hard ground and it tripped, falling flat on its face.
Ram and Sita used the distraction to quickly pick up Vali and sprint towards the fence.
‘Leave me!’ screamed Vali, struggling against the two. ‘Leave me!’
Vali’s struggle led to more blood spilling out of his shattered arm. It increased the pain dramatically. But Ram and Sita did not stop.
Meanwhile, the bull quickly rose to its feet and bellowed loudly. Lakshman raised his hand, showing the bag he held.
The bull should have charged. But it had been trained well. As soon as it saw the bag of coins, it lowered its head and snorted. It looked behind at its owner, who was standing close to the exit. The owner smiled and shrugged, mouthing the words, ‘You win some. You lose some.’
The bull looked back at Lakshman, snorted, and lowered its head again. Almost as if it was accepting defeat gracefully. Lakshman pulled his hands together into a Namaste and bowed low to the magnificent beast.
The bull then turned around and started walking away. Towards its owner.
Vali, meanwhile, had lost consciousness, as Sita and Ram carried him over the fence.
Chapter 29
Late in the evening, Shaktivel came to the forest edge where Ram and his band were resting. A few men followed the Chief of Indrapur, bearing large bundles of weapons in their hands.