Today's posting on "Holy Cow!" is the 4th of 5. May you enjoy this window into a unique part of Indian culture...
...since Indians are by-and-large vegetarian (and beef, certainly is a big No-No), the cow, given its holier-than-thou status, has rarely been exploited for meat. But the flip side of the cow's ritualistic postion means that no sooner than it stops producing milk, its owner finds it politically correct to abandon the unfortunate creature on the streets, rather than pack it off to the slaughterhouse. Hindus also believe that should a cow tethered in their home die, its owner has to perforce undertake a pilgrimage to all the holy cities in India to atone for the sin. And upon his return, he had to feed the Brahmins in his village. Rather than be laid low by a double-whammy, as it were, letting the cows loose on the streets is an altogether agreeable and cost-effective option.
Indeed, once out on the streets, cows hardly starve. Every time a meal is cooked in a Hindu household, the first roti (unleavened bread), is left out especially for a cow to consume. And if a cow is spotted on the street, it is called to the door and fed various delicacies prepared to propitiate the gods. On auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, wandering cows are offered sweets and grass as an act of piety.
(today's excerpt from Tarun Chopra, The Holy Cow, p. 11, Prakash Books, 2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment