JOYS OF COW- BASED FARMING MENTION EVOKES NOSTALGIA

For those of us who grew up in villages, mention of the cow evokes nostalgia. Our dawn broke through the cowshed beside the house. Milking cows was a welcome early morning ritual for the mothers.

Our mother would enter the shed with a shining pot, lovingly stroke the cow on its back, calling it by its favourite name. The milk that the cow spared for the household nourished the whole family, especially the children, even as it nurtured its own calf.

The cow is a moving temple, being the abode of thirty- three crore gods of the Hindu pantheon. She has been giving us the sacred ‘Panchagavya’ with its immense medicinal value, being a moving hospital, as it were.

The cow is the mother of the universe (Gavo Vishwasya Matharaha). She is invaluable in agriculture, transportation, food, medicine, industry, sports, religious functions, emotional stability, economy, etc. From time immemorial, the cow has had a special place in Indian society.

Being part of farming, food, and medicine, and industry, the cow also contributes to the health of the environment.

·        Ancient scriptures state that “Suryaketu” nerve on cow’s back absorbs harmful radiations and cleanses the atmosphere. The mere presence of cows is a great contribution to the environment.

·        India has approximately 30 crore cattle. Using their dung to produce bio-gas, we can save 6.0 crore ton of firewood every year. This would arrest deforestation to that extent.

·        Cowdung has an important role in preserving the environment.

·        When we burn cowdung, it balances atmospheric temperature and kills germs in the air.

·        Cowdung has antiseptic, anti-radioactive and anti-thermal properties. When we coat the walls and clean the floors of a house with cowdung, it protects the dwellers. In 1984, a gas leak in Bhopal killed more than 20,000 people. Those living in houses with cowdung- coated walls were not affected. Atomic power centres in India and Russia even today use cowdung to shield personnel from radiation.

·        African deserts were made fertile using cowdung.

·        We can reduce the acid content in water by treating it with cowdung.

·        When we offer ghee in fire as part of ritualistic sacrifices, it strengthens the ozone layer and shields the earth from harmful radiations from Sun.

·        Serious researchers have sought to establish an irrefutable link between the frequency of earthquakes and a concentration of large and increasing number of slaughterhouses.

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The Joys of Cow-Based Farming

Indian agriculture has variety. There is no farm-product that we don’t cultivate. Our land grows all kinds of grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits, flowers, cotton and silk. About 70% of our population has embraced agriculture as profession. Majority of them are small farmers, owning one or two acres of land. Our agricultural landscape is diverse and vivid – in land topology, soil type and quality, irrigation method and frequency of harvesting. Cattle are integral part of this huge canvas of agriculture. We use oxen to plough, to pick and move harvested crops, in irrigation, cow manure as fertiliser, and cow urine as insecticide.

Unique Role of the Cow in Agriculture:

·        In our country with small holdings and small-scale farming, there is no better alternative to employing cattle in farming.

·        While ploughing, the oxen stride with gentle gait, not harming the surface of the earth, unlike tractors.

·        Even as they plough the land, the oxen defecate and urinate, fertilising the land.

·        Cattle Manure: organic manure, green leaf manure, earth-worms, and slurry manure with cattle manure bond with the nature and make the land fertile. They do not create the challenge of chemical waste.

·        99% of the insects in nature are beneficial to the system. Insecticides prepared from cow urine or well fermented butter milk does not affect these helpful insects.

·        Dung from one cow is adequate to fertilize 5 acres of land and its urine is can protect 10 acres of crop from insects.

·        As per the Supreme Court, cow dung produced by one ox can support a family for 4 years.

·        Oxen do not pollute the atmosphere.

Cattle in Transportation

India has more than 600,000 villages, many which do not have asphalted motorable roads. In hilly regions where even a horse cannot tread, oxen can pull their carts with ease.

·        Boasting the largest railway network in the world, the Indian Railways transported 55.7 core tons of goods in 2004-05.

·        In the same year, the humble ox carts transported 278.5 crore tons!

·        In that year, trains moved 511.2 crore passengers while ox carts had 2044.8 crore customers!

·        Oxen have carried up to 14 tonne goods non-stop for 24 hours, without water and food.

·        Most importantly, the carts do not produce air or noise pollution. How important is it, then, that these hardworking and patient oxen ought to be given adequate food, water and rest for all of their invaluable contribution!

·        Food from the cow is consumed from the start to the end of a meal.

A mother nursing her infant depends on cow’s milk for her own nourishment. A mother feeds her child for a year or two; thus the cow is a lifelong refuge for us all. The cow feeds its own calf and spares plenty for us, too.
 

Uses of cow products:

·        Different popular beverages like coffee, tea, etc. require milk as an important ingredient.

·        Scores of sweet dishes are milk-based.

·        Curds, butter and ghee are an essential part of Indian meal. The taste of items deep-fried in ghee is unmatched.

·        Buttermilk quenches thirst in addition to being a base for many popular dishes in our cooking.
 

Cow Products as Medicine

World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a combination of physical, mental, spiritual and social wholeness. WHO has also predicted that bacteria will become immune to antibiotics by the year 2020. That does not scare us!

We can depend on Panchagavya – milk, curd, ghee, cow urine and cow dung. These have excellent medical qualities individually as well as a concoction, without any adverse side-effect. In addition, if we are already under some other medication, consumption of panchagavya acts as a catalyst.

Ancient books on Ayurveda state that consumption of cow urine increases resistance to diseases by up to 104%. Note: increase to 104% is an increase of 4%. What do we mean?

Health from ‘Panchagavya’:

·        Milk : The ‘Charaka Samhita’ states, “Milk is the best life strengthener.” While Casin protein in milk helps growth of infants, calcium and sulphur strengthen our bones. Milk is also rich in vitamins D and B-complex.

·        Curd arrests diarrhoea, controls fat, and resists cancer.

·        Ghee improves intelligence and beauty. It is used to treat eye diseases.

·        Distilled cow urine is effective in treatment of flu, arthritis, bacterial diseases, food poisoning, indigestion, oedema, and leprosy.

·        Panchagavya Mix: Various medical formulations like Panchagavya Ghrita, Amritasara, Ghanavati, Ksharavati, Netrasara etc. are invaluable medicines in the Ayurvedic system.

The Cow in Industry

Milk and milk products from cow are used in preparing wholesome dishes and food products. Cow products are effective in treatment for cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, neurological problems, psychological problems, skin diseases, ENT problems, fever, cold, hair loss, etc. They can also be used in cosmetic products like soap, shampoo and beauty aids. They help in farming and provide manure and insecticides. We can get cooking gas and electricity from cow dung. The cow industry makes for practical good sense, good health and sound economy.

‘Gobar’ Energy

·        India leads the world in milk production. In 1998 – 99, India produced 7.5 crore tonnes of milk. 70% of this produce is from small farmers.

·        South India has more than 75,000 ‘gobar’ gas installations, achieved by the S.K.G. Society of Kolar.

·        A scientist named Bug Jones established the Inland Energy Corporation in California. They collect 1500 tonnes of cow dung a day from the neighborhood and produce 50 MW of electricity.

·        The Gujarat State Government purchases cow urine at Rs. 3 per kg and cow dung at Rs. 2 per kg.

The Cow’s Role in Economy

·        70% of our people depend on agriculture. 98% of them depend on cattle-based agriculture.

·        India produces more milk than all other countries.

·        Goods carried by ox carts are 4 to 5 times as much as by trains. This saves considerable foreign exchange. E.g., Transportation worth Rs. 50,000 crore was done by ox carts in 2005. If we expand cow-based industry, the cow would have a defining stature in our economy. Sadly, its already important position in Indian society, culture, tradition and economy is neither understood nor appreciated by certain sections of persons residing in India.