BANGALORE: It is raining sheep in town with the festival of Bakr-id just around the corner. With Biryani on the menu, many Bangaloreans from the Muslim community are buying sheep to satiate their palates.
People from surrounding villages are cashing on this craving by selling sheep at JC Nagar, opposite the TV Tower.
The sight which normally comprises traffic jams saw the pavements filled with livestock, their food and traditionally clad villagers showcasing their product.
Commuters plying the road daily were surprised to see the pavement, which would be normally filled with pedestrians, filled instead with a brigade of sheep.
Buyers grabbed the opportunity for a cost-effective Id and bargained heartily for an acceptable price. Though some complained that they were over-priced, others cajoled the sellers for great prices.
Sheep were being sold at a whopping Rs 7,000-9,000 and Rs 17,000- 19,000 a pair.
Now that explains why mutton biryani is more expensive than chicken biryani in most of the restaurants in the city.
Due to the little attention that I received through my click-happy photographer, and with a little bargaining, I managed to make them agree to sell me a sheep for Rs 4,000. But the other buyers were not so lucky, and had to cough out the cash for their desired delicacy.
The herders, who came in from Mandya, Kurhani, Bhatkal, Kadapa, Nelamangala, justified their selling in the streets as they had no other place to do so. Vardaraju said that if they were provided with a ground or a market, then they wouldn’t be selling on the pavements causing trouble to pedestrians.
Rajanna said that they couldn’t sell these animals in the ‘doddi’ or slaughter houses as it would not be bought by the people. “It would be sacrilege if we took these animals to the slaughter houses as they are taken for ‘qurbaani’,” he added. These villagers would speak to the authorities, if given the chance, to request for a live stock market in the city to avoid selling them on pavements from now on.
bngexpresso@expressbuzz.com