They will wear black clothes during the 11 am-1 pm event to show solidarity with protesters in India.
Follow us on Twitter
and Facebook
Tamil Americans in the mid-Atlantic region will gather in front of the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, on Sunday to express solidarity with those in India that are protesting against a ban on Jallikattu — a traditional bull wrestling festival.
Jallikkattu, which is enormously popular in Tamil Nadu, where it is part of the cultural identity, was banned by the Supreme Court of India in 2014.
The protests against the ban, which began on January 8, have spread to different parts of Tamil Nadu and India in the past two weeks.
In Washington, DC, the protesters will gather near the iconic Gandhi statue in front of the embassy on the Massachusetts Avenue from 11 am to 4 pm to denounce the ban, the organizers said.
The protest is being organized by a number of local volunteers and activists, among them, Raja Ram, Siva Venkat, Parthasarathi, Mahendiran Periaswamy, and Nalini Britto, according to one of the organizers.
“Along with friends, [we] have been able to pull in a lot of volunteers from the surrounding cities and states in order to gain support for their momentum in keeping with the protests happening in Chennai and around the world against the ban on Jallikattu,” Britto said.
Related posts:
AR Rahman to go on fast; Sri Sri and Sadhuguru pitches in for Jallikattu (January 19, 2017)
India’s Supreme Court bans Jallikkattu (January 12, 2016)
“[We] would like to show solidarity and support to the numerous people protesting again the ban on Jallikattu in India,” Britto, a resident of Silver Spring, MD, said.
The organizers have requested participants to wear black clothes during the 11 am-1 pm to show solidarity with protesters in India.
“In the wake of the banning of a beautiful and ancient culture of Jallikattu by the Supreme Court of India, the Tamil people the world over have gathered together to protest against this injustice,” a poster circulated by the organizers reads. “Come and be part of this movement to preserve our culture and heritage along with your family and friends to stand united in our fight.”