Holy Cow! (Part 2)

We're posting these excerpts to help display the unique culture in which we are living. The cow tends to be one of those topics that causes many questions from outsiders.

Here's more from Tarun Chopra (The Holy Cow, pp 8-9, Prakash Books, 2008)

For most cows, the place to be is in the middle of the street. They herd at traffic lights, in all likelihood misleading you into believing they're there to assist the traffic cop! Of course, that's only half-true. So, really, what are the cows doing in the middle of Indian roads? Why aren't they on farms where they belong? Of course, they're not suffering from the Mad Cow Disease. But there is a method in their apparent madness. As recent studies have demonstrated, Indian cows seem to prefer hanging around on busy roads because the exhaust fumes from the smoke belching buses (and trucks, auto-rickshaws and tractors) seem to discourage flies, while the toxic fumes get them high. Now, that's a typical Indian solution to a vexed problem.

In India, all animals are sacred, even though the people's attitude towards them may lead you to believe otherwise. An in the pantheon of these sacred creatures, the cow stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Referred to as Gau Mata or Mother Cow, this gentle bovine occupies a special niche in the Indian psyche.

(Next posting: Holy Cow! (Part 3 - "Legal Tender & Other Economic Issues")