Mornings in India are hardly about calmly watching the light of the sun slowly feeding shadows. It is all about watching unknown men and women stop wherever and whenever they spot a cow. They furtively glance all around to first make sure that there is no one watching them. Without delay they then untie a plastic bag and spill the leftovers on the footpath. They take a couple of steps to one side and with a few more cautious glances they throw that soiled plastic bag as well.
Many on the social media might write: ‘This is India for you.’
Well, this is India for me as well, but I rush out to talk to this person if he or she hasn’t already disappeared.
‘Feeding a cow, sir?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, cows are revered in Hinduism as sacred animals, symbolizing non-violence, abundance, and motherhood.’ I can see that the person is now no longer fearful of some expected confrontation. He even smiled. I went on to tell him that cows more than one of our Gods though it is Krishna who happens to be the most known and revered cowherd. I added, ‘Gopashtami is one festival when devotees offer food to cows as a form of worship and gratitude.’
The man was by now wondering if I might next ask him for a donation and so my sentence hit him hard. ‘You are, sir, committing a sacrilege. A sin,’ and then I rubbed it in, ‘All the blessing earned by your attempt to feed a cow are nullified because what you are offering is simply stale food and leftovers that no one want to eat.’
‘We do cook fresh rotis on some days,’ he stammered, but I cut him short and pointed to the plastic bag that was lying a few feet away.
‘That bag,’ I said, ‘might kill this animal. Do you agree?’
‘Yes.’
‘Now if you have any respect for this cow, you will pick it up, fold it, keep in your pocket and throw it in the bin at home,’ I said, ‘And I am not yet done with you.’
He stood there helplessly and waited. I said, ‘If you have leftovers every day, you and your wife are not planning your meals properly. There are millions in this country who starve, sir… and you have leftovers to deal with every day. You ought to be ashamed. Sit down and carefully plan your meals.’
If you think I stopped after this, you must think again. I went on to tell him that animals know instinctively what is best for them and move around searching for what suits their constitution. What you are doing is transforming these charming animals into greedy monsters who are no longer capable of looking for food that makes them feel better. You are making them helpless.’
I have no idea how much of what I said was understood by that man, but I am sure that early morning meeting with me is not going to be forgotten soon.
For all those Indians who think a cow gets respect only in India, let me add here that even Greek mythology has a reference to goddess Hera, the queen of gods. She is often depicted as a cow and said to be ‘cow-eyed’ because of large, expressive eyes. The Greeks too feed cows to honour Hera and seek her favour.
Ancient Egyptians have high regard for cows and associate them with goddess Hathor, their deity of love, beauty, and fertility. In their tales, Hathor has no horns and ears and feeding them is their way of trying to invoke her blessings for fertility and abundance.
Buddhists believe that feeding cows is an act of compassion and kindness and one of the ways to increase their treasure of good karma.
Feeding cows as a ritual and limited to certain days in a year is different from flinging leftovers and making a mockery of mythology, religion, and social etiquette. The increase in the number of stray cattle (as opposed to limiting the discussion to just cows) is a severe problem in the country. This is despite the government in power here in India having allocated funds for the upkeep of gaushalas. The stray cattle menace has led to fatal encounters in residential areas and people believe this could be because of these reasons:
- Siphoning off funds by gaushala administrators or owners who simply let the cattle out every morning and herd them in only for headcount. They are not just cheating the government but also behaving irresponsibly.
- People living in urban villages leave their cattle in nearby residential areas to graze in parks. This leads to not just traffic snarls but are a perpetual risk to the elderly, children, and inattentive young men and women.
I am sure stray cattle menace is one aspect that is in the minds of several people in India. They need to express their opinion openly and without fear. You may begin by reading and sharing this article.
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Arvind Passey
06 February 2025
