Earlier this month, the 9th November, was Govatsa Dwadashi, marking the first day of Diwali celebrations for the Hindu faith. Basically, it was cow-appreciation day. Hinduism, in common with many other faiths, venerates the cow, and rightly so i.m.h.o. The day is marked by placing garlands around the cows' necks, and otherwise decorating them with vermilion and tumeric. They also get fed a little bit more tasty wheat on this day, as a special treat and thanksgiving, and are often serenaded with song.
Cows are the symbolism of motherhood, as well as the providers of nourishment through milk. The sacred cow Kamadhenu, and her daughter Nandini, are wish-givers, whilst Nandi, the bull, is a symbol of strength. He is the mount and guardian of Shiva, one of the principal Hindu deities. I remember from when I visited India some twenty-five years ago, that cows certainly hold a special place in peoples' hearts.
India, as we were very proudly told on many occasions, is the largest milk-producing nation on Earth. It also has the largest number of cows, at around 307 million head (around a third of the World cow population). These are kept on 80 million farms - but that includes many families with just one cow perhaps, which might just as easily be roaming city streets scavenging rubbish and vegetable waste, as it might be grazing grass besides a cultivated plot.
Not all are producing milk, because cows and calves are protected in India (their slaughter would be illegal in most States), so many are non-productive bullocks destined to a life of veneration and free-range ambling! Those that have travelled to or lived in India will know that it is not unusual to find these bullocks lying and chewing their cuds in the middle of a highway. They are beefy oases of contented calm, whilst traffic negotiates chaotically and noisily around them.
India is a complex society of contradictions and bafflement for a young traveller like myself - perhaps even for the people who live there too. Not eating beef is important (most Hindus are vegetarian) and cows have a spiritual sanctity meaning they cannot even be euthanased, let alone slaughtered in most States. However, seeing cows dragging broken legs or suffering from other terrible afflictions was not easy to witness, with my European sensitivities and perspectives. As the minority Mulsim poplualtion can and do eat beef, there are rumours of unofficial "outlets" for the unproductive bullocks or older cows. It might explain how most cattle you meet are in fact female. I remember too that in Nepal, also with a predominantly Hindu population, whilst beef was still strictly forbidden, the "buff-burger" seemed to be a staple on the backpacker menus. Buffaloes are apparently less venerated, and can legally be killed for meat, it seems.
Never the less, the respect with which cows are treated is testament to a relationship between cow and man which runs strong and deep across Indian society. It is a link which echoes a similar bond found in many ancient societies and civilisations, whether that be in Asia, Africa or Europe and the Middle East. Mankind co-evolved with cows. The domestication of the species from the wild Aurochs (literally "wild ox") precursors of old goes back around 10,500 years ago, when the Neolithic Revolution (the original agricultural revolution) saw progression from Old Stone Age pre-historic mankind (Paleolithic), to New Stone Age mankind. This included a transition away from hunter gathering towards more agriculture and settlement, allowing the human species to expand and thrive and come to populate large swathes of the planet.
That most of us in the Western World have lost this close, personal and symbiotic relationship with cows is to potentially lose something which is at the very core of us. Remember, I started this blog series with the bold claim that to understand cows is to make us human. What I learned in India is that to venerate cows is not merely a symbolic gesture or lip-service, but it is a heart-felt recognition and thanks for their unique role in our lives. Whilst their meat is not eaten by Hindus, their milk is certainly valued, and cows' ability to provide valuable proteins from simple nitrogenous building blocks (which manknind cannot utilise) is what nourishes us. Furthermore, oxen as draft animals have been the mainstay of agricultural heft, long before the tractor was invented. Finally, their dung! We must not forget the extraordinary soil-enhancing properties of cow muck, nor the convenient and efficient (and tree-saving) use of dried dung cakes as biofuel for cooking.
In my work as a farm vet, I'm increasingly witness to a palpable and exciting shift in the way cows are incorporated in the loosly-termed "regenerative agriculture" movement, which is foscussed on environmental sustainability and a holistic approach to food production. Even without their milk and meat, their grazing presence is vital to fertilise land, recycle nutrients and strengthen soil structures. Cows are again finding that their true worth is being recognised.
This is almost leading me on to another venerated species: the scarab, or dung beatle, of ancient Egyptian cultures. The scarab, often represented by amulets that were found in the tombs of mummys, is the symbol of rebirth, regeneration and protection in the afterlife. Dung beatles and cows and soil fertility are wonders being re-discovered in our ultra-modern high-tech society, which will arguably have more relevance to the sustainability of mankind than any of this Artificial Intelligence nonsence and hype! But let that be a story for another day...
Meanwhile, if you see a cow today, please give her your thanks. And if you want to throw a garland of flowers around her neck, I for one won't think you're being excessive!
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