Holy Cow....

Cow is a sacred animal as per the Hindu religion. We worship the cow during festivals and other occasions seeking its blessing. Our elders have passed on to us the good and positive attributes of a cow which is deeply rooted in us.

So are all cows’ holy cows?? Today seeing the cows makes me really wonder how holy they are . I live in the so called Garden city. It’s a common sight seeing cows loitering around. Gone are those days where the cattle had an exclusive shelter. Today one can see them here and there, neither is the care taker bothered nor are the cows. There are happily resting on garbage piles, most of the times they eat out of the garbage and live on the garbage. What a pity!!!

Oh did I talk about food now!! Have you ever thought about the cow food??? Unlike dogs and cats their food is not packaged and easily available in the supermarket. Cows are not old fashioned anymore They seem to have imbibed the city culture and like getting their taste buds tickled as well . Sounds crazy right??? There are couple of cows around my vicinity who take a stroll morning and evening before they retire for the day. I don’t know how and when the inception of a new comfort food started but I bear witness to it today. There is one particular black cow that stops by at our apartment gate, takes a deep breath before it moose. What happens next – any guesses?? The building security offers it toast for breakfast .And sometimes chapatti too. The cow supposedly relishes veggies too of the previous day. The first time I witnessed this bizarre scene, a thought struck my mind. Imagine the cow being fed with paneer . How more hilarious can this get now. The cow gets a taste of its own medicine .

Junk food seems to have not spared the cattle also. I cannot find a neat healthy looking cow around. Cows are obese, don’t look as pleasant as one would expect. Cholesterol level surpassing the fact it’s an animal, is evident. What with the type of food – who knows probably people feed these cows the leftover pizzas and pastas. Cows are left with little choice, it’s like the survival of the fittest. How can one blame if the milk is watery and thin in form. Making ghee and curds from milk as such is quiet a task, with the adulteration that is so prevalent.

It is not a common sight to see cows standing right in the center of the road akin to the heavy traffic. My heart skips a beat every time I cross one and pray that these cows don’t bear the brunt of rash driving. As for zebra crossing, when the rule is not followed by a two legged human how can one expect that from a four legged cow right??

What made me think of cows now?? A recent trip with my DH to Kumbakonam is to be blamed. In our two day holy trip we spent a great deal of time feeding cows. We spotted so many cows, be it near or inside the temple or the market place. It was a real pleasure to feed them agathi keerai (august tree leaves in English). Trust me I don’t think city cows have ever heard of it nor seen. Now the Kumbakonam cows definitely looked petite and holy. After coming back you can imagine my frustration seeing the city cows .

All said and done, cows are gentle animals. Hope their lifestyle and living improves in the city. As for being holy it’s all in the eyes of the believer I suppose .



PS – I am a peace loving person . My post is the outcome of mixed emotions. I have no intention of hurting religious sentiments. Thank you.

 

Viswa Sir,

I can't stop laughing now....Namitha . Thanks for your response.

 

Glad you had a good laugh. Thanks Pavithra :)

 

@satchitananda - Aaaaah....look at that pic....phew .

 

Yes that's true cows consume a lot of plastic from the garbage...it's really a sad plight. Thanks for posting a reply Amica and I am glad you liked it.