[ppi] [ppiindia] Where Delhi's cows find sanctuary

** ppi-india **
      Where Delhi's cows find sanctuary
         Julia H. Holtz IHT




NEW DELHI Although they are admired and protected as holy creatures, the
36,000 cows that wander the streets of New Delhi are stuck in a grim
existence.
.
Most of their diet consists of garbage. Exhausted by their daily battle to
survive amid the 14 million people of this metropolis, cows often lie down
to rest in the middle of the road and many are struck by passing traffic.
.
The City Council wants to get the cows off the road. Now residents, too, are
trying to improve the cows' lives. About one-third of the animals have
already found new homes in New Delhi's cow asylums.
.
Nityanand Dadhich is the administrator of one of these asylums, which in
Hindi are called gaushalas. About 150 cows live in Dadhich's shelter,
pressed tightly against one another. At night they can withdraw into stables
scattered with straw.
.
To help pay for the shelter, Dadhich recently bought 20 cows for dairy
production. The rest of the animals found their way to his asylum after
being given up by their owners, because they had grown old and were no
longer able to produce milk, or because they had suffered accidents and were
disabled or blind. Some have lumps, open wounds or are limping on three
legs.
.
Dadhich and his 14 assistants start work at 5 a.m. each day, cleaning the
stables and filling feeding troughs with fresh vegetables and wheat.
.
During the summer the animals are given a cold shower once or twice a day to
give them some relief from the scorching heat, which sometimes rises to 50
degrees centigrade (120 Fahrenheit). For street cows, this may be as close
as they come to paradise on earth.
.
India's 800 million Hindus consider cows sacred because they are a symbol of
life-giving Mother Earth. Many Hindus call cows Go Mata, or Mother Cow.
.
Lord Shiva, one of the principal Hindu gods, is customarily depicted astride
Nandi, the bull.
.
Hindus often bow down before the cows while passing them on the streets to
offer their respect; others touch the mangy animals to feel their heartbeat.
.
"The cow is deeply ingrained into our religion, thinking and emotions," said
Dadhich, whose parents started to build the cow asylum about 50 years ago.
.
The slaughter of cows is forbidden in most of India. Every day Hindus visit
the asylum to show their devotion through making donations, which are
supposed to bring them good luck.
.
The higher the donation, the more food the cow gets - which travels directly
from the donor's big bag into the cow's mouth.
.
For some Hindus, however, the love of cows ends at their wallet. Many street
cows are not really without owners, but belong to illegal creameries. Their
owners milk the cows in the mornings and evenings, but during the day the
animals forage for food themselves.
.
"The milk of these cows stinks," Dadhich said. "How can it be any different,
if these animals only live on garbage?"
.
Dadhich detests this greediness for wealth. The sick animals will often be
sold later to leather factories or just left alone to their fate. Dadhich is
not allowed to take cows in from the streets unless the owners give their
permission. But once the cows have entered the asylum, Dadhich said,
smiling, "we take care of them until their last breath."
.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Paris.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg 
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.arsip.da.ru
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:

1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 
4. Posting: ppiindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5. Satu email perhari: ppiindia-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. No-email/web only: ppiindia-nomail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
7. kembali menerima email: ppiindia-normal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     ppiindia-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Other related posts: