Trin.. Trin.. a telephone call. “Sir, I am a software employee. Willing to build a Goushala . Isn’t goseva a virtuous job? It is painful to see the poor cattle sleeping by the sides of the road, and suffering leg fractures due to accidents. How much aid the Government may give? Sir, please advise.” ’ He said from the other side. I do not know why I felt a thousand lightning strikes on my ear drum when I heard the word “Goushala” and subsidy . There is a reason for that.
Many such calls are received by me every day as I am visiting the cattle farms for my research work on cattle and write regularly articles in popular Kannada dailies since last 25 years.
Continuing the conversation, I said “is it? Very great job. By the way, you are willing to build Goushala to accommodate how many cows?”
He said to me, “I have a 60 x40 empty site. I will fence it and rear 70-80 cows there. Isn’t it a good deed sir?”
“It is impossible to rear that many cows in this site. At maximum 20-30 can be reared” I said.
He was saddened by shattering of his dream of gaining a lot of Punya by rearing hundreds of cows.
“Well, how much are you investing? How many people are there in your home to look after the cows? How much expenditure can you bear? Has your family agreed for this? Is that land registered in your name? Does it have water facility? Does it have electricity supply? Is there a separate space to grow grass? Have you spoken and fixed a veterinary doctor if there is a need to treat any disease? How much time can you spare for the Goushala along with your profession? Are you married? If not, will your spouse, in future, like this work?” I showered a lot of questions on him.
He took some time to ease and said “Right, these thoughts didn’t come to me!! Is it so difficult to do “Gouseva and gain Punya ?” And he took off from me and never turned on…
This upcoming incidence is the counterpart of previous conversation. There is a Goushala . The owner, even though he is very old, had immense love for gou. It was the practice of people, including police, to bring cattle injured by accidents on road to his Goushala . Cattle which are on the way to slaughter houses, found by police or gurakshakas, find shelter in his Goushala .
When any cow injured by the accident, reaches his Goushala , men from the Goushala give a call to veterinary doctors and ask them to come ‘immediately’. Because it is a Goushala run by a person who is politically powerful. Veterinary doctors somehow rush to serve freely and rebuke later on.
Once, since all the veterinary doctors were on strike for some reason, a man from Goushala gave a call on my phone number collected from a magazine. Saying, ‘The owner of the Goushala has insisted to come and treat the cattle which is injured in an accident, come immediately’.
I completed the work which I was already busy with, then got into my vehicle, purchased necessary medicines from nearby pharmacy. By the time I reached the location it was 1 hour past the phone call, as I was not aware of the location and I had to take help of the people to reach there. By then there were already 12 missed calls on my phone from unknown number. But I thought of treating the cattle first and then find out who had made the call.
On examination I found that the injury was not very severe, I applied proper bandage to stop the bleeding and gave some antibiotics. Then I handed over the bills of the medicine given to the person in Goushala and told him to pay the amount either to me or to the medical shop and I prepared to leave.
When I was about to leave, I found the owner of the Goushala who was red in anger, like Sage Durvasa who is famous for his anger. “Hey doctor, is it the time to come? Don’t you have sympathy for animals? How many times should we call you? Aren’t you even looking for the “ Punya ” gained by Gouseva? Wouldn’t you have got the curse (Goshapa) if something had gone wrong with the cow?”
He went on blasting on me without giving me a chance to open my mouth for a moment to speak.
Well. I didn’t say anything but had two glasses of water as I was tired. And asked him too to sit and drink water. But his anger continued. Once he was a little cool, I enquired him about the reason for starting this Goushala . As his temper was reduced by then and he felt that the cow was safe, he started to talk with me.
“Doctor, people run their vehicle on poor cattle which sleep on the street… poor thing… gets its leg broken… we take care of the cows which are being transported to slaughter houses too. I have to take care of them. I am earning a little “Punya” by doing this. Feeling happy too. This is how the life is running. But people these days don’t have interest in cows. Government doesn’t help. They just pay some amount of money every year for 200 cattle and they are done. All are uninterested about Gouseva. It is my “Karma” that I have to struggle alone.” He sighed and took rest on back.
I had not observed around as I was in a hurry to treat. It was a Goushala which could accommodate about 150-175 cattle but was overcrowded with 300-450 cattle, like Kishkindha. As they were not tied using ropes, some strong “rogue bulls” were fighting with other cattle and eating all the fodder. They were behaving like rowdys, riding on injuring other cattle, both male and female, which were not ready or physically fit for mating.
It seemed like the weaker and older cows were looking forward for their death due to lack of fodder. Some with broken limbs were sleeping on sludge as they couldn’t get up. Some were stinking of putrid meat due to the sores with worms in it. If everything else was fine, the calves with sunken eyes and weakened body even though they had an opportunity to have enough milk, were sucking the wizened udder of old cow which were weak due to lack of fodder. I felt nauseous as this heart wrenching view was new to me. I felt very sad about this.
Gradually my sadness turned into anger towards the owner of the Goushala who had impound these cattle in the name of ‘Punya’. Usually I do not loss my temper easily but I lost my patience without my knowledge.
“ Sir, Is this the only way to earn “ Punya ” for you? Won’t you get Punya by worshiping God with Homa, Havana or Pooja etc? Why are you troubling these cows in the name of caretaking? Isn’t it you who want Punya ? Then why in the name of Punya , you trouble veterinary doctors of the veterinary department who have got thousands of other responsibilities? Why cant hire a veterinary professional to treat the animals in Goushala? Do you know that they leave important treatments halfway and come here because they are scared of your powers? Aren’t they serving cows belonging to others just like you? Is it considered Goseva only if one serves the cows in this hell of yours?
Don’t you think this hell like scene wouldn’t have been here, if you had restricted your Goseva by giving shelter to limited number of cattle depending on your financial condition and refused entry of new cattle? Aren’t you indirectly responsible for the suffering of these cattle which could have died at once in slaughter house but are groaning here? Isn’t it your financial responsibility to feed them enough and take care of them till they die natural death when you have admitted them to your Goushala without giving it a thought? Did the any one begged you to run the Goushala ?
Do you have the moral rights to blame that veterinary doctors are responsible for these, when so many cows are suffering illnesses? How would veterinary doctors treat cattle of poor people, if they use limited amount of available medicines only for your Goushala ? Wouldn’t your Punya be doubled if you had hired good veterinary doctor and treated cattle with good medicines? Is there no one else to do, if you don’t protect? “Do not you know that the god is there to protect orphans? Somebody would have done something eventhough you had not done it. Will you keep quiet if you are admitted into an old age home with a capacity of 20 but hundreds are forcefully dumped in there? Tell me, do you wish your family to suffer due to the curse of cows which die suffering?”
And I stared at him.
I still wonder, why did I get angry that day!
Lean bodies, miserable faces, tearful eyes of those cows; lean body and charmless sunken eyes of those calves which should have been jumping around merrily by drinking enough milk from mother; the havoc created by the Goonda bulls that are similar to that of arrogant people in our society; The frustration on realizing that it isn’t possible to supply enough fodder, water and medicine for all these cattle;
The greed for recognition of the owner, who in a hurry to earn “Punya” , without his knowledge built a hell like Goushala which had pushed the cattle to death.
Did all these stir my soul? Probably because I didn’t have an answer for these questions, did that frustration turn into anger? I don’t have answer for this question of mine.
I looked at the fatherly like figure with regret and shamefulness because I pierced him with harsh words, who never expected such an answer. His eyes were filled with tears and he started weeping.
He wept for a while and wiped his tears, I told him “Sir please cool down. You must have got hurt by my words. Please forgive me for that. You are pure at heart with concern for cows. You are doing this great job at this old age which no one else could have done. But somebody should have guided you in many aspects. We shouldn’t go beyond your capacity. There are plenty of people who bring orphaned unproductive cattle to you with a wish to earn “Punya” , as you are providing shelter.
With advancing age, you are ruining your health, and also making others not visit your Goushala again by shouting at them. Please correct yourself if possible. And I got into my vehicle.
The gentleman asked me, “Doctor, what’s your fee?”
“That isn’t a big amount. Reduce the number of cows here. If good fodder is provided to the remaining cows, they may produce a little milk and let your assistants milk them. It would enhance the enthusiasm to work more.” I told him and didn’t stay there even for a second afterwards left the place.
As per my words, the owner controlled the bulls which were creating havoc, he also reduced the number of cattle which were taking free shelter there. He reformed the Goushala . He restricted the unlawful entry of unwanted eliments into his Goushala. He segregated the cattle to make them productive offering them with little concentrates and mineral mixtures. They conceived and gave birth to calves. He started getting a good quantity of milk to the calves and to the workers there. They also got little as the cows were productive in terms of milk and cows. I also too visited his Goushala many times and guided him. He realized how the “Punya” can be gained by proper feeding and management.
He used to call me and take my guidance very often. But gradually the frequency of the phone call reduced. And then for a long time I never got a call from him. I received a news that he died of heart attack. Probably because of the “Punya” of Goseva he might had a peaceful and gracious death what I guess. I don’t know what happened with the Goushala later on. After many days, his son used the Goushala for commercial dairy purpose. And the story ends here.
There are many who run a very good Goushala. But there are some people who are not prepared for construction of “Goushala” only for the propaganda of name or fame “illusions” without proper preparation create hell to cows. There are many instances of this. My intention is to reduce the number at least. They to construct small Goushala for orphan as per their financial capacity instead of over burdening exceeding the capacity. Nothing to hurt any.
Cows do never require worship from human in form of offering Arti, Seva or Puja. It’s for humans satisfaction. Practically they do require ad libitum green and dry grass, concentrate and water with cleanliness of the cattle shed. If this is provided daily till its last breath, it will surely bless any one. As a bonus it will return the same in form of milk, calves and organic manure. Most people need to understand this and get prepared for the same.
If this sends right message to those who needed it, the purpose is served.
-Dr. N. B. Shridhar
(Acknowledge the kind translation from Kannada to English by Matthuga Surappa Narahari).
All photos are as per situation: Courtesy Internet
