KAKINADA: Come Sankranti, coastal Andhra is all set to raise a toast to roosters. And though there is nothing attractive about the bloodsport in which cocks get wounded and killed, that is unlikely to prevent betting in cock fighting from crossing the Rs 200 crore mark this year. Last year, that figure stood at Rs 100 crore. Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring police warning, organisers have, in the last couple of weeks, started holding cock fights in the interiors of coastal Andhra. Cock fighting fever is already on with relatives and friends of just about everybody from businessmen, movie stars, NRIs, corporate executives, realtors to rich farmers and politicians landing up at their ancestral villages in pursuit of this brand of entertainment.
Despite 'strict' police vigil, punters and experts believe that bets worth a total of Rs 200 crore are very much on the cards this time. "Believe it or not, people of Godavari district are ready to bet their immovable property," A Venkata Ramaiah, an organiser in Konaseema area, told. Last year, police warned organisers and participants of rowdy-sheets being opened against them but that has not affected the widespread interest in cock fighting. A majority of the punters, who belong to the Kshatriya community, say cock fighting is a custom that should not be viewed as gambling. "This is a traditional sport. We are only following the sport, not indulging in betting," said S Raju, a former people's representative from Palakollu in Bhimavaram mandal. Contests are held in East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts for which roosters are bred and trained by farmers. They fetch a minimum of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. A good breed can cost anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh."West Godavari district is the main hub for breeding cocks. Cocks bred here are even taken to contests in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka," regular punter G Trinath Babu of Bhimvaram said. The cocks are fed almonds, cashew nuts, millets and wheat grains to make them strong for the tough battles they have to fight. Organisers said roosters reared especially for fights come from Madurai, Salem and Kanyakumari and are found in some parts of Karnataka too. The fights between the specially-bred and trained cocks are organised in sprawling fields with thousands watching the spectacle. Blades, three to four-inches long, or sharp knives, are tied to the cock's legs and the fight continues till one of the two cocks dies. Such is the craze for it, cock fights are also organised at night under floodlights. Sources said fights take place in Bhimavaram, Yelamanchili, Vissakoderu, Achanta, Attili, Dirusumarru, Vundi, Kalla, Penumantra, Vendra and Juvvalapalem areas of West Godavari, Allavaram, Korukonda, Gokavaram, Rajanagaram, I Polavaram, Godilanka and Goditippa in East Godavari. Liquor flows freely at these events, police said. Liquor sales in a mandal can touch Rs 2-5 lakh a day during the Sankranti season.