PUDUKOTTAI: With less than two weeks to go, preparations for Pongal are in full swing. While we usually associate Jallikattu with the festival, another sport is also played during this time - Illavata Kal. This is a traditional sport where men lift heavy spherical stones. In the olden days, in some villages, this sport would determine the masculinity of a potential groom. It was used in groom hunting.
The stone weighs anywhere from 80 to 100 kg. The sport was also popularised in the 1985 movie Mudhal Mariyadhai where Sivaji Ganesan lifts the stone to impress the heroine. But today, this sport has few takers. One of the few is 23-year-old Vivek, who hails from Sevalur in Pudukkottai. “I started lifting the small stone when I was in school.
It was only in 2015 that I started lifting the big Illavata Kal. I was attracted to the sport the moment I saw it. You need self-belief and confidence to be able to lift it. It is not like a gym bar, but extremely heavy and spherical in shape,” said Vivek. Vivek said there are not many participants in his village. He would be going to Ponnamaravathi on Pongal day to participate in a competition. He feels youngsters today’s lack the strength and fitness to take up such a challenge. “You need focus while lifting and cannot be thinking of anything else. You do not need any practice for this, just be fit and focus,” said Vijaya Kumar, another challenger.