COCK FIGHTING IN LAHORE
NOT SO NICE WAY OF DOING THINGS

Enjoyed by certain groups but not everybody

A roof top inside Mochi Darwaza Lahore and a mixture of things. Some plants, pigeons, working tools, toilet, and a cage. The cage held what can be termed as a ferocious animal. A simple MURGHA or KUKAR in our terms, in plain language a COCK surrounding by hens. And what a cock? The animal had no fear. We were afraid of him as one can be afraid of anybody wild. Just seeing us, he would dig his claws on the bricks, and flung himself at us. His beak so dangerous, that it could take a piece of our flesh out any time. It was rumoured to have injured many, and yet the owner, a friend of mine, was very happy with it. My friend would play with it like a pet dog. And when the Cock died, my friend mourned for him for days, and even today, he would recall the bravery of his Cock-a-doodle do.

Where did Cock fighting start? China probably and it is there in many areas of the East. But the West was not immune from it. We hear of Cock fighting in many cities of the West too. It was obvious that the Mughals would bring cock fighting to Lahore too.

The growth of animals, their training, their planned fights and then the actual gambling on same, revokes some past civilizations. And more often than usual the horrible injuries of the loser, even resulting in death, was a shame for mankind. But human beings as they are, can indulge in anything, for a perceived high, which all societies need at one time or the other.

Other fights were arranged. Dog fighting never caught on here. But Robin fighting did and one cannot imagine  how a small red bird can be made to fight another such bird, often to death itself. Naturally man is the beast here in this matter. But as far as wrestling was concerned, the wrestling traditions in Lahore, speak of fighting matches, where fights used to be held in mud and no injury ever took place. But that is a different story.