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A farmer holds onto the reins as he runs through mud behind his speeding oxen during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
RATNAGIRI, India (AP) - Hundreds of spectators shout and gesture as lively music blares from loudspeakers. A commentator's breathless voice resonates over the din trying to keep up with a racing team of two oxen yoked together and a man who looks like he is being dragged through mud behind the speeding animals.
The horseshoe-shaped track has only a flimsy fence separating the action from the crowd. The setting is Dervan, a small farming village in Ratnagiri, a district famous for growing the Alphonso mango, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Covered from head to toe in gray mud, the driver looks like an apparition. His skills are tested as he maneuvers the animals around a U-bend. He must hold onto the reins while controlling the oxen's speed by pulling and twisting their tails. And he needs to achieve this while being simultaneously half-blinded by the mud hitting his face. If he drops the reins, his team will be disqualified.
One at a time, the teams race around the track vying for 10 winning slots. The winning team this year - out of more than 100 - completed the 200-meter (yard) -long track in 21.44 seconds. Seasoned drivers often compete more than once a day with different oxen.
A village committee holds the annual event, known as Nagarni Spardha, a centuries-old tradition, at the peak of the rainy season. The soft muddy ground prevents serious injury to the drivers, who compete in bare feet and without protective gear.
Many arrive in vehicles after bumpy rides over unpaved roads from nearby villages. Some oxen need to be stimulated before the competition by men who pull them with ropes and prod them with sticks. Other oxen are overexcited and must be controlled and soothed.
The oxen, which have names like Bullet, Sundar (meaning "beautiful") and Raja (meaning "king"), are no longer used for ploughing the fields but are kept strictly for the competition. Their horns are brightly painted and their bodies sprinkled with colored powder before the race.
A farmer holds onto the reins as he runs through mud behind his speeding oxen during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer attempts to rein in his speeding oxen as they break through a fence during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
People watch a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Men walk with an ox from a nearby village to compete in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A man helps an ox out of a vehicle as the animal is brought from a nearby village to compete in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Farmers agitate an ox before pairing it with another for a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A man carries wooden plows on his shoulders as he arrives for a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer holds onto the reins as he slides through mud behind his speeding oxen during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A man helps an ox out of a vehicle as the animal is brought from a nearby village to compete in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer and his son stand beside their oxen and wait for their turn to participate in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Farmers wear t-shirts with pictures of oxen with messages 'One Passion', right, and 'Miss You Sundar' as they prepare a team to compete in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A spectator runs to get out of the way of speeding oxen as they overshoot the finishing mark during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer arrives in a transport vehicle with his oxen to compete in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer holds onto the reins as he runs through mud behind his speeding oxen during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
An ox makes an aggressive gesture by rubbing his head on the ground before a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
An oxen team competes in a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A farmer holds onto the reins as he runs through mud behind his speeding oxen during a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Dervan village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
People watch a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Farmers make an ox drink water before a traditional oxen plow race known as Nangarni Spardha at Sarand village in Ratnagiri district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
