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To Fight is the Rooster's Dharma

Call of the Cockfight Wager (or "To Fight is the Rooster's Dharma") Gather, come hither for the cockfight! No tax, no cover charge, no taxman Like life itself, 'tis only a game Red Rooster, Green Rooster Both are mine Both are yours (to bet) Both are brave soldiers Trained in martial arts Of attack and of defense Is that the policeman in the khakis? Someone buy him a coffee Or pour him a glass of brandy We need his blessings for our sport He needs us to feed his family Torture of living beings is a sin I know that, and so do you. But the bird doesn't know that! Let this one be. The policeman, the brandy man, the punter are all householders. Let them be. You are a sacred man, But I am a condemned one. So you can donate me Your sins of betting. Enjoy yourselves, then perform your rituals and cleanse yourself, and leave the fruits of the bad karma to me. Trust me and enjoy the show It doesn't matter the winner is green or the red The caste of chickens has no death To fight is a cock's dharma Let the cock die for dharma. Gather, Come Hither for the Cockfight. Admire the bravery of the rooster The courage to carry on Even when the neck is gone! Hold your breath Hold your feelings Raise your drink Raise your stake And just enjoy the show! Adapted and translated from Kannada Original by Prakash Nayak, published in ThatsKannada.com. Used with permission. Translation by Vikas Kamat. Photographs by K. L. Kamat. Commentary Cock fighting used to be a common street sport in India and although disappearing, is still practiced underground. It is a bloody sport that is pursued till one bird kills another. The excitement is increased by ganging of the teams, consumption of liquor, and betting. The poem illustrates typical logic applied by the Indian society for diluting of its morals. It shows the interwoven fabics of rampant corruption, natural amusements, philosophy and thinking of common citizens in India. Related Links • India's great street culture • Kamat Goes to a Cockfight • The Birds of India • Definition of terms: dharma, karma, punter • A medieval sculpture showing a cock-fight (Comments Disabled for Now. Sorry!) First Written: Saturday, May 18, 2002 Last Modified: 12/7/2003 Tags: cockfight

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