‘Cow Hug Day’

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), in its infinite wisdom, has urged people to celebrate ‘Cow Hug Day’ on February 14. This date has been specially chosen to shower love on the desi cow; the aim is to counter videshi Valentine’s Day revelry and make us forgetful mortals remember the Vedic traditions that are presumably threatened by western razzmatazz. The board is not really off the mark in calling the cow the backbone of Indian culture and rural economy. However, pitting Gaumata against Cupid is a stupid idea which can only complicate things on that day when the moral police go all out to teach human lovers to be sanskari.

It was Sanjay Dutt in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) who showcased the power of the hug, the ‘jaadu ki jhappi’. Twenty years later, the AWBI is implying that hugging fellow homo sapiens is an unproductive gesture; instead, hugging cows will increase ‘individual and collective happiness’. Don’t be surprised if you find people religiously stopping their vehicles on February 14 and hugging the nearest stray cow on the roadside or at a busy chowk. Those not keen on doing so might be made to take the bovine route under duress. So, many of us will end up embracing cows and clicking selfies with them, whether we and the four-legged ones are in the mood to moo or not.

Mahatma Gandhi said a nation’s moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. George Orwell’s Animal Farm told us that all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. But is the revered cow truly ‘more equal’ than other animals in India? As per the livestock census, there are more than 50 lakh stray cattle in the country. The rehabilitation of abandoned cows remains a huge challenge despite the implementation of government schemes such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and the National Livestock Mission. Instead of expending their time and energies on political symbolism, the authorities should make efforts throughout the year to ensure that stray animals don’t block the traffic or get run over, be they cows or dogs.