A rooster fight being organised at Ramavarapadu in Vijayawada on Monday, the first day of Sankranti festivities.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO
Thousands of people enjoyed rooster fights on the first day of the Sankranti festivities, as many arenas were set up across NTR districts despite police warnings against organising the sports.
People thronged an arena set up for rooster fights arranged near Ramavarappadu on Monday. A punter put a bet of ₹25,000 on ‘Nemali’, a rooster, while another bet ₹40,000 on winning of the rival bird ‘Dega’.
The organisers erected huge tents, barricades and arranged public addressing systems, air-conditioners, seating areas for different categories of audience, LED screens, separate parking facilities for two and four-wheelers at the arenas.
Huge arenas were set up near Jaggaiahpet, Gannavaram, Ajitsingh Nagar, Ramavarappadu, G. Konduru, Velagaleru, Kalla, Bhimavaram, Palakol, Chinchinada, Sivakodu, Jaggannapeta, Jangareddygudem, Nuzvid, Kaikalur, Undi, Verravasaram, Narsapuram and other places in Krishna, NTR, Eluru, West Godavari and other districts.
Flags of various political parties were also seen near some arenas. No police personnel were seen near the rooster fight arenas.
Crores of rupees were reportedly changed hands in betting at the areans.
“For the first time, organisers have fixed ₹300, ₹500 and above as entry fees for watching rooster fights at some places. Heavy rush was seen at the arenas,” said Kasula Ranga Rao who, along with his family members, came to Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad to watch rooster fights.
“Food, soft drinks, snacks, cigarettes, drinking water, parking and other arrangements have been made at the arenas,” said Chandran who came to Avanigaddda from Chennai for teh sankranti festivities.
Visitors from Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha and other States and abroad reached the State for the harvest festival.
Hotel rooms were filled with guests including NRIs, in Vijayawada, Amalapuram, Gudivada, Jaggaiahpet, Nagayalanka, Narsapuram, Bhimavaram and other places.
Published – January 14, 2025 04:01 am IST
