Defeated birds bought for a bomb

Pithapuram: The flesh of gamecock is worth twice that of a Pulasa fish in the district of Godavari. The cock which dies after the ferocious fight is locally called Kosa. In a cockfight, two roosters are thrown into a ring, one falls dead, while other declared a winner.

During Sankranti festival, it is quite normal to watch gamecocks and Kosa cocks. In the case of a gamecock, it earns the same if it wins or dies in a fight.

But there is lot of competition for Kosa flesh and it is bought for above Rs 5,000.
In fact, the country rooster itself is delicious and its taste can’t be expressed in words.

Gamecocks are raised very carefully throughout the year and fed with cashew nuts and onions. They are made to swim and run so that they do not gain fat. So, it tastes extremely delicious and there is a good market for these cocks.

Thousands of roosters are killed in the name of cockfights. According to the rules of the cockfight competitions, the owner of the rooster who wins the fight also owns the deceased rooster.

This owner auctions the dead cock instantly. These cocks may cost up to Rs 5,000. As soon as a gamecock is dead, all it’s feathers are removed, grilled and handed over to the one who purchased it.

Many workers stay near the cockfight fields awaiting the work to clean a dead cock. They charge around Rs.40-70 to do such work.

The neighbouring hotels purchase these deceased cocks and make snacks of it on the spot. With the presence of belt shops in the vicinity, these snacks serve best for munching.

Many of the cockfights sometimes are only held for the “Kosa” flesh. It is served with pride for the newlywed sons-in-law on the eve of Sankranthi.

Many low level employees try to please their officials by serving them this delicious dish. More than a hundred deceased cocks are sent as presents to the officials in Pithapuram only.