The swing of a claw and a flurry of feathers leaves a rooster immobile, a cockfight considered cruel by many but which unites different Indian forest communities.
India is known for its fanatical obsession with cricket, but in the central state of Chhattisgarh, cockfights draw huge crowds.
“Before, there was no other entertainment and this helped us meet people from other villages,” Raju, whose skill in raising fighting birds has made him something of a local celebrity, told AFP.
“Even with all the changes that surround us today, the sport is still very popular,” added the 32-year-old.
The forests of Bastar district are home to numerous tribal communities living in scattered villages.
India has pumped millions of dollars into infrastructure development, and new roads and mobile phone towers have brought forest dwellers a little closer to the outside world.
The rugged terrain and tyranny of distance in the remote Bastar district still provide few opportunities for these villages to interact with each other.
But when a cockfight is on the calendar, hundreds of men cross rivers, traverse dense forests and hills to get a view of the ring.
“I do nothing but organize fights, raise roosters and place bets,” Bhagat, 35, from the village of Katekalyan, told AFP.
– ‘Fame and respect’ –
Last month it was Katekalyan’s turn to organize a fight, with men from outside the city surrounding the fence of the earthen enclosure where the roosters fight.
Most cockfights are over in the blink of an eye, with the pre-game pageantry accounting for most of the action.
Bhagat and a rival rooster owner first hold the bird’s beak with their beak to gauge whether they have the hostility necessary for battle.
The two men then use string to attach sharp blades to the claws of their charges as the crowd shouts their small bets on the outcome.
Along with much of the rest of the world, cockfighting is banned in several Indian states on animal cruelty grounds.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in India calls cockfighting “barbaric” and campaigns to end it for good.
But the men who live in the forests of Bastar see them as an integral part of the fabric of their community.
Roosters that survive several fights are praised along with their owners.
Raju said the most enduring fighters were remembered locally with the same reverence that the rest of India has for cricketing greats like former captain Sachin Tendulkar.
“Just like you have a cricket pitch, this is our pitch,” he said.
“And winners gain fame and respect, just like Sachin did by scoring all his runs.”
Bhagat said he was always sad when one of his animals died in combat.
“When we lose a rooster in a fight, our hearts are sore for a few days,” he said.
“But then we will get drunk and then there will be peace.”
bb/gle/pjm
