Sankranti roosters fighting to death too fetch high price

VIJAYAWADA: There is huge demand for meat of roosters that die fighting during the three-day Sankranti festivities in Andhra Pradesh.

Called the Kosa meat, it costs anywhere from ₹5,000–8,000 per kg. That is essentially because Sankranti fighter cocks are nurtured carefully, fed special diet throughout the year to gain immunity and power, and exercised to remain fighting fit.

As per rules of cockfights, the rooster that dies fighting becomes the property of winning rooster’s owner. The dead warrior is immediately put on auction in which gourmets bid. The rooster is skinned soon after its auction and given to the highest bidder.

Understandably, Kosa meat is available only during Sankranti days. Connoisseurs visit the cockfight arenas in Krishna, NTR, Konaseema, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, Guntur, Bapatla and both Godavari districts to bid for the meat.

Incidentally, there is a custom of newly wed sons-in-law being fed the Kosa meat when they visit their in-laws for the festival.

Rooster fighters’ trainer B. Nageswara Rao said they feed the birds cashew, almonds, eggs, mutton and other high power diets. The cocks undergo training in swimming and other exercises to increase their stamina. A well-trained rooster costs anywhere between ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh.

Gourmet J. Raghu says people who eat Kosa meat forever remember its taste. He said this year, they paid prices ranging from ₹8,000–10,000 to bid and secure the meat.