My photography experience in Palakkad has largely revolved around one of the most intense rural sporting traditions I have ever witnessed — the Kalapoot races, Kerala’s traditional cattle racing events conducted in flooded paddy fields during the harvest season.
Over the last two years, I have tried to attend these races whenever I travel to Kerala, and every single visit has been visually chaotic, physically demanding, and deeply rewarding from a photography perspective.
Kalapoot is a traditional rural racing event where specially trained cattle sprint through water-filled paddy fields alongside handlers who run with them at extraordinary speed.
The races are unbelievably fast. Covering roughly 100 meters in just a few seconds, the athletes and cattle together create one of the most visually explosive sporting environments I have photographed.
While the runners are obviously assisted by the pull generated by the cattle, the sheer athleticism involved is incredible. Watching them sprint through mud and water at that pace feels surreal in person.
For action photography, Kalapoot is unlike any mainstream sport.
The races happen in flooded paddy fields, meaning:
Water splashes continuously toward the camera
Subjects move at extremely high speed
Focus tracking becomes critical
Timing matters more than burst shooting alone
One of my favorite techniques has been attempting head-on shots as the cattle charge directly toward the camera position. But that also comes with serious risks.
You need to move away at the perfect moment because:
The ground is slippery
Visibility is reduced due to water splashes
The cattle continue charging forward even after the finish
In fact, one fellow photographer near me slipped during a race and injured his ankle while trying to avoid an approaching animal.
A Trial Run - Kaalapootu
The Jockey's Familiarizing The Cattle With the Track
The Jockeys Who run AlongSide the Cattle
One of The Most Prominent Faces in Kaalapootu - Unni Jockey
What makes Kalapoot unique is that it is not just a sporting event — it is also deeply tied to agriculture, rural pride, and cattle culture in Kerala.
The cattle are often specially bred and maintained for racing purposes. Events also function as community gatherings where owners observe performance and evaluate animals for breeding and purchase.
The races themselves are divided into multiple categories based on age and development stages of the cattle. Local classification is often linked to physical maturity indicators such as dental growth.
There are:
Paired cattle races
Single cattle sprint formats
Junior and senior divisions
Multiple competition structures depending on region
One striking detail is the scale of the trophies. Some are nearly human-sized, standing over six feet tall, reflecting how seriously these competitions are celebrated locally.
One Of the Organizers Standing with The 3-5 Ft Trophies
Like many traditional animal-based sporting events in India, Kalapoot has also faced criticism from animal rights groups over concerns related to animal welfare.
From my observation, however, the environment felt very different from more aggressive animal sports seen elsewhere in the country. The cattle involved are typically:
Well-fed
Groomed regularly
Given dedicated care and recovery
Treated as valuable sporting animals rather than working livestock
That said, debates around ethics and animal handling continue, and it remains important for organizers to ensure the welfare standards of the animals remain protected.
What stayed with me most about photographing Kalapoot was the raw energy of the sport. There are no polished stadiums, controlled lighting setups, or barriers separating you from the action.
It is just:
Mud
Water
Speed
Rural tradition
Instinctive photography under pressure
Photographing Kalapoot in Palakkad gave me one of the most intense action photography experiences of my career so far. It pushed my reflexes, timing, and situational awareness in ways very few sports have.
More importantly, it introduced me to a traditional sporting culture that still survives outside mainstream media attention — one deeply connected to Kerala’s agricultural heritage and rural identity.