CHAKWAL: The people of Chakwal on Sunday enjoyed a traditional game which was revived after 40 years in Bhoun, one of the oldest villages of the district.

In the game, two camels compete with each other in lifting a heavy load. The contest was held between the camels of Zaffar Abbas Kafeel of Bhoun and Malik Tassawar Hussain Lammar of Khai village. The arena was set near the railway station of the village where spectators gathered in a large number.

Zaffar Kafeel revived the event along with his friends after buying a camel for Rs900,000. The camel, Bhola, originally belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan but was sold to a man in Kashmir. As it had won six competitions earlier, Kafeel bought it for the special event.

As the contest used to be held between traditional rivals Bhoun and Khai villages in the past, Kafeel challenged Malik Tassawar Hussain Lammar of Khai. He announced that Bhola would lift 35 maunds (one maund equal to about 40kg).

“According to the rules and regulations, if the camel of the person who organises the event fails to lift the weight, the rival group is considered victorious without putting their animal into the game,” said Chaudhry Ejaz Hussain, one of the organisers. If the animal of the organiser manages to lift the weight, the animal of the rival group has to lift the same weight. But if it also manages to lift the weight, the animal is considered victorious despite the fact that both the animals lifted the same weight.

“But if the animal of the guest party fails to lift the weight, which is earlier lifted by the animal of the organising party, the animal of the organising party is considered victorious. If the animal of the organising party fails to lift the weight, a new contest cannot be held until the organiser’s animal lifts the same weight,” explained Chauhdry Ejaz Hussain.

Bhola was specially decorated like his rival and brought into the arena amidst drumbeats and made to sit in a corner. Special weight loaders from Dera Ghazi Khan loaded 35 maunds on the back of the animal and tied all the sacks.

Like its owner, the experts of the game were sure that Bhola would lift the weight. But as the rope was untied, Bhola tried to stand and fell down on his left side and was declared a loser by the crowd. The men of the rival group cheered and started dancing while a pale of gloom descended on the face of Kafeel and his friends.

“The weight was more than the power of Bhola. That is why the animal could not lift it,” Chaudhry Ejaz told Dawn. Other experts said the weight was not properly loaded otherwise the camel would have lifted it.

Zaffar Kafeel announced that he would load the same weight on his animal on 25 Poh (the tenth month of Punjabi calendar).

“Forty years ago, the camel of Ghulam Abbas lifted 37.50 maunds and set a record which still remains unbroken,” said Chaudhry Ejaz.

Though the local people termed the game legal and a famous cultural event, animal rights defenders were divided on the matter.

“Employing animals to labour beyond their power is considered a cruelty to them which must be prevented,” said Dr Anwaar Hussain Rizvi, who worked for Punjab Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). “The existing law, which was passed by the British in 1890, needs to be amended,” he added.

But Professor Talat Naseer Pasha, Vice Chancellor of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, who is also the head of SPCA Punjab, maintained that there was no law which forbids such games. “According to the law, you cannot load as much weight on an animal which it could not lift but if it can lift a heavy weight easily in a game, there is no legal obstacle to it,” he told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2016