From a blood donation camp to cake cutting, how a Karnataka village celebrates their favourite bull’s birthday

A hero or a celebrity having a fan following isn’t new. But here is a bull who is no less than a movie star. He has such fanfare that his ‘fans’ donated blood to mark his birthday. Meet Rakshasa (meaning Demon), a 6-year-old bull who is the apple of the eye of Kerimattihalli village of Haveri district, Karnataka. Bull taming is a traditional game played in various village festivals in different parts of the state. Rakshasa has literally won every game he has taken part in until now. This is the only bull of the village that takes part in these games and the entire village is very proud of him. Lingaraj and his friends bought the bull when he was still a little calf. A group of six young men pooled in 1 lakh rupees and bought him home. They take turns and look after the creature with affection. Prakash, Malthesh, Karbasu, Siddu and Basavaraj are the other 5 owners of the bull. All the friends have other jobs like cable tv operator, LPG dealer, farmer, shopkeeper and such things. They took such good care of the animal that within a year, the man who sold the calf to them asked if they are willing to sell it back for seven lakh rupees which they denied. “Rakshasa is our pride, he is our son. He has taken part in 56 games until now and has one every single one. He has fans from far off places. He has won gold coins, 6 motorbikes, a refrigerator, farming equipment and so many other things. We just adore him. We are thinking of letting him take a break from the race now” says a very proud Lingaraj. Other than taking part in game shows, the bull isn’t used for anything. He is fed nutritious food and taken out for grazing. A regular massage and bath to keep him in good shape is arranged. Also, regular health check-up by the vet is taken care of. The group of friends take turns and share these responsibilities. The bull’s birthday was celebrated with pomp and colors by cutting a cake and hosting a feast for more than 100 people who came to ‘greet’ him. Since the bull is a celebrity in this area, a blood donation camp was organized and people happily volunteered to donate blood. 54 volunteers donated blood to Veerapura hospital’s blood bank. There were banners all around the village and near highways wishing the bull and the animal were dressed in bright colors for his special day. He is the hero of this village, says Huliyappa a villager who donated blood to mark the birthday of his favorite bull. “I have seen tens of such games over the years and none have won them at such ease as Rakshasa. He is very rightful to his name. No matter what the competition is, if Rakshasa is there we know the results already. And our village is very famous because of him, we owe him” he said.​