Blood and Dust: Cockfighting in Odisha

(A story by Paolo Quadrini / S4C NYC)

2026-India Orissa

Cockfighting, locally known as Kukuda Ladhei, is a brutal tradition deeply embedded in the rural fabric of Odisha, particularly during winter festivals like Makar Sankranti. While the civilized world has largely banned this practice, India remains one of the few strongholds where this cruelty persists, often protected by a grey area between religious tradition and legislative loopholes.

Preparation and the Weapon The rooster is not left to its natural instincts. Months before the match, the birds undergo grueling training regimes and are fed specific diets. The most macabre detail is the metal spur (karat): a razor-sharp blade, 5 to 10 centimeters long, tied securely to the rooster's leg. This blade transforms every kick into a potentially fatal slash, ensuring the fight is brief and bloody.

The Ritual and Betting The arena is a circle of dust surrounded by hundreds of shouting men. Betting is the true engine of the event: in a single afternoon, anywhere between 500,000 to 1,000,000 rupees (thousands of euros) can change hands—a staggering amount for rural economies. The tension is palpable as "handlers" taunt the roosters against each other until the first blood is drawn.

2026-India Orissa

The End of a Life The cruelty does not end with the animal's death. The defeated rooster, often mutilated by the blades, is sold on the spot for a few rupees to the spectators. It becomes mere meat, a cheap gastronomic trophy that closes the circle of an existence spent training to die for the entertainment of others.

Although cockfighting is deeply rooted, it is not a legal practice. In recent years, the Odisha police have intensified raids to enforce the ban imposed by the Supreme Court. There have been numerous instances where law enforcement stormed makeshift arenas, leading to the arrest of dozens of individuals and the seizure of vast sums of cash and hundreds of birds already fitted with metal blades. However, these operations often face stiff resistance from local communities, who view police intervention as an attack on their cultural identity, making the eradication of this cruelty extremely difficult.