Krishna's love for the cow!

I tried to get this published as a letter to the editor in some local press, but alas none of them carried it. So here's some Janmashtami reading for you!

Dear Editor:

I am Mariam Abuhaideri, an animal rights activist and I am extremely concerned about the poor welfare of cows in Rajasthan. On the one hand, we say that the cow is to be worshipped and on the other, we leave her to graze in the garbage and take away her calf within days and sometimes hours of their birth depending on the gender of the calf. The female calf is still given some access to her mother’s milk; the male calf isn’t remotely lucky. 

Today on occasion on Janmashtami I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight to all Krishna worshippers his love for animals and especially the cow. 

One may argue that even Krishna milked cows and loved dairy products so why are animal activists targeting the dairy choices of people? In making this comparison, we forget that the times were different then. During Krishna’s time, cows were indeed cared for and most importantly the earth was void of so many people. Neither had anyone heard of paneer and neither did they enjoy the desserts we do today. Today, milk is a profit-making entity, and cows are treated as machines and only bred for milk and regressively so through artificial insemination.  I would even go as far as to say that machines are well taken care of and serviced. Cows are not even afforded that. Old and dry cows are abandoned on highways. Male calves starve to death. 

If we cannot think of the cow, since not everyone is an animal lover and our world has become increasingly self-centred, I would like for people to think about their own health. Cow milk today is far from pure. Cows are injected with Oxytocin, and illegal dairies set them free after they milk them to go feed off plastic and garbage. And when we consume milk or other dairy products, we consume also contaminants. 

It is necessary that the authorities of the State Animal Welfare Board, Animal Husbandry, and Nagar Nigam take some responsibility to enforce penalties on dairies that are allowing their cows to stray and separating calves from their mother. The rule made this year for cow welfare should be effectively enforced. A monitoring committee consisting of animal welfare organizations, honest gaushalas, and animal activists should be set up to investigate the conditions of the dairy farms and individual dairy entities. Violations should be dealt with sternly. Public awareness campaigns should be initiated by the authorities so citizens become aware of rules and regulations surrounding dairies and the welfare of bovines. 

Lord Krishna was kind and tender towards animals. This Janmashtami let us become more empathetic and follow the footsteps of the Lord and learn to be kind towards our fellow beings as well. Krishna, please fill our hearts with compassion for animals! Happy Birthday!

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