In the Service of the Cow

I was in for a momentary shock when during the course of a seminar, a veterinarian referred to COW as “cause of worry “, with justifiable reasons. The point he was trying to drive home was that the moment you tether a cow in your yard, you cannot just sit complacently . A cow requires, grass , fodder, has to be fed water at regular intervals, has to be cared for and looked after when she is to deliver, and a veterinary doctor or pharmacist brought in when it falls sick. This is all the more difficult as cattle as also other animals can not spell out their illness or pain.It is well said - gai na bachchhi , neend aye achchhi

I am reminded of the times when my Nani used to visit us at Shimla once in a year around Diwali. She used to cover a distance of 20-25 kilometers on foot and about 50 kms by bus . Her visit was always looked forward to as it meant , a lot of desi ghee and other eatables available only in the village , as this was her way of showing and showering all her love and affection on us – my mother being her only child. She would reach at about eight in the evening, stay with us the next day and on the third day would again leave for her home also giving us some money as a parting gift. . Nobody could persuade her to stay any longer, as she had to tend 4-5 cows and was so attached to them that she would not trust anyone else with feeding or giving them water , though living in a joint family.

I am all praise for a friend of mine –who loves anonymity - and with the help of 4-5 servants fends and cares for 40-50 cows in pucca structure in perfectly clean and hygienic conditions and not even a bit of dung is visible in or near the cowsheds. If a cow happens to die, it is accorded a proper burial. He does all this as Gau-sewa and gets not even a drop of milk in return.

All this is in sharp contrast to unscrupulous and unkind people who just abandon their cows when they stop yielding and leave them to vagaries of weather !