We call cow our mother, but let it die eating plastic

Yogi Adityanath's coming to power in UP and his interest in the welfare of cows and maintaining goshalas seems to have stirred a large segment of the population to start caring for cows. Many have converted themselves overnight to tend the animal and revise perceptions in support of the campaign against cow slaughter.

However, it is difficult to say with certainty if the change in mindset among this section of people is politically driven to fall in line with the Yogi and his commitment to look after the cow, or it's a natural change of heart. Given the prevailing circumstances, the former is more likely.

But do we really care? It's not an uncommon sight in India, especially in the Hindi heartland, to see innumerable cows and buffaloes straying and wandering through the lanes and bylanes, picking up food from hawkers and vendors to fill their stomach (often with plastic).

Obviously, they are starving and neglected as far as feeding is concerned. While negotiating the narrow lanes, many a times the bovine lot is hit by a speeding vehicle. It's sad to see injured cows and bulls with broken horns and bleeding shoulders limping away.

It's a grotesque sight, with the owner nowhere to be seen to take the injured to the veterinary hospital or nurse it with first aid. Such is the apathy for the cow by their masters, many of whom claim to be gau rakshaks or protectors of cows.

Other than this insensitivity, bulls and cows are found sitting unmoved at major thoroughfares, disrupting traffic, with no samaritan around to intervene and facilitate the flow of traffic. Motorists in a hurry to pass nudge the resting bovines causing injury, some even of grave nature.

Promoted by UP CM Yogi's dedication in running gaushalas or home for the cows, there are many who have started caring for them. It was interesting to see Mulayam Singh Yadav' son Prateek and daughter-in-law Aparna visiting a cow shelter and patting the animals while the CM looked on.

It looks like a major change of heart. It's gratifying to see a 44-year-old CM lead from the front to care for the cow and his love for them is aptly demonstrated in the fact that Yogi has ferried his favourite cows to his official Lucknow residence for full time attention that they so richly deserve.

An anecdote worth sharing dates back to 1985, pertaining to the old city of Lucknow where I was heading the city police. All of a sudden, reports started trickling in that cows were dying and that too in a communally sensitive area which carried the potential to spark riots at the slightest provocation.

A handful of fanatics started blaming members of the minority community that they were responsible for causing the death of the animal by poisoning. The situation was turning ugly as a self-styled communal leader started delivering inflammatory speeches to start a riot.

As a precautionary measure, I ordered immediate post-mortem of the dead cows to ascertain if they were really poisoned, as alleged by the majority. To our relief, the autopsy revealed that cows had died by consuming plastic. And it had happened because owners’ neglect forced the helpless and starving cows to comsume plastic.

The police arrested the trouble-maker, calming highly inflamed passions and averting a major communal flare-up. The same fanatic leader later abandoned his ideology and plans to champion the cause of cows and joined the SP.

Lesson?

Hypocritical and opportunistic politics was followed by netas while cows continued to be neglected by owners. It's shameful on their part to keep repeating that cows are their mothers.

It's also a sad commentary on those who try to bask in the reflected glory of those in power with little or no respect for the neglected cow.

With Yogi at the helm, we expect cows would get protection, meaning adequate food and care and without getting abandoned. If not driven by religious ideology to protect cows, it would appear more important to look after them as part of animal welfare.

Yogi may assert a little more in motivating youngsters to embark upon a sustained campaign to ensure the well-being of not just cows but all animals.

Also read: Modern India stuck between a cow and the Constitution