Mixed response from tourists at cockfights in Andhra

By Sharon Thambala Vempa (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 21 : At a time when most of the Sankranti visitors have left the festival hotspots, there was a mixed response from the many tourists who visited the cockfight centres in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district recently, with some saying they were happy while a few others felt disappointed.
Despite the high court ban orders, thousands visited the cockfight centres.
Ram Prasad, an IT employee from Hyderabad had been attending the Vempa cockfight centre for three years with a group of friends and he was as amused as ever to have made the trip.
“I have been coming here for the past three years. So it is kind of refreshing for us. We work the entire year and this break is a refreshing one. We visited all the major cockfight centres, not just the Vempa one,” Prasad told IANS.
He said their main intention was to come for entertainment and not gamble. However, Prasad noted that it excites him to see people bet money in the blood sport where cocks kill each other by throwing knives tied to their feet.
“People were not showing expressions, even if they were losing or winning big. We have seen some of them lose Rs 2 lakh or Rs 3 lakh, but we never observed that they lost something because they did not express such. Even in loss they were celebrating,” said the Hyderabadi tourist.