Letter to the Editor: A day for cows

Sir—Cow is an animal which defines the economical fabric of our country which is largely agriculture based. Cows deserve a special day of its own for all the economical baggage it has been carrying for so long. According to a news piece published in Mint, It is economics and not religion which drives ownership of cattle in India. In the same news piece a figure is been provided which is compiled by the erstwhile NSSO and now the NSO which says that all India average of households owning cattle or buffalo is 30 per cent. This goes to prove the economical viability of cows. In a time when cow vigilantism is rampant and its protection is given utmost importance, the Assamese community since unrecorded time have given cow its due respect. I remember my father telling me that cows were not sold off even if they were ill or old, some farmers also went bankrupt as they spent a large chunk of their rainy day savings on treatment of cows. Cows apart from enjoying a family member status also was placed on a pedestal equal to God. The Bohag Bihu starts with Goru Bihu which in the modern parlance is a spa day for all the cows where they are given a ritualistic bath with turmeric and black gram paste and are given the choicest of vegetables to munch on.It goes to show that cows always comes first in Assamese rural milieu. For long, we the Assamese have protected cows. 

Noopur Baruah

Tezpur