Goshala at Bankuli Math and tragedy of the Indian cattle

We were driving back from Burude falls to my native place. My uncle mentioned the Goshala at Bankuli matha. A person fond of bovines, I decided to make a quick dash to that place. Previously, I had visited the goshala at Sri Ramachandrapura Math.

A short detour of about a km from the main road led to the matha. We headed directly to the goshala. Known as “Goswarga”, it was a large area with hundreds of desi cows. The place was unique, with a pond at the centre and pathways constructed on it. The goshala was well maintained and clean. It would have been educational if there was a board mentioning the breed of the cattle.

As I was looking at the various breeds of Indian cattle, my mind went back to the events necessitating the need for goshalas.

Few decades ago…

A few decades ago, cows were part of every rural family. Commercialisation had not entered the dairy business, and the Indian breed of cattle ruled the cowsheds. The milk machines like Jersey and HF (Holstein Friesian) were absent. These Indian cattle gave little milk with a portion shared with their calves. People were not well off during those days but did not consider cattle as a burden. Female cattle were always preferred as they gave milk, but males had enough respect. Bullocks were necessary for transportation and field work. Various ceremonies in rural areas (Ex: racing events like Kambala) required bulls to be domesticated and well-fed. The cows were also not chained inside the cowshed for the whole day. Instead, they roamed on the grasslands (called gomalas) and returned to their homes in the evening. LPG cylinders were absent, and biogas made from cow dung heated the gas stoves in the kitchen. Cow dung was a natural fertiliser during those days. Overall, there was a balance in the entire system.

My childhood memory is resplendent with interactions with these well-behaved animals. Even today, I make a short visit to the cowshed whenever I visit a house in villages.

Commercialisation of dairy business

Things do not remain constant for a long time. As time progressed, commercialisation stepped into the cowsheds. With the milk revolution, there was money to be made from cows. People were now better off, but the Indian breed of cattle was considered a burden. Indian cattle failed to meet “Return on Investment”.  The cowsheds became empty or filled with milk machine cows. Desi cows were in trouble.

It is easy to give opinions sitting on a comfortable chair, but it is not fair to criticise anyone. Everyone is right from their point of view. It is preposterous to expect the dairy industry to remain stagnant when India was going through liberalisation and experimenting with free markets.

Few organizations came forward with the concept of goshalas to preserve the Indian breed of cattle. Today, the future of the Indian breed is slightly brighter as there is an increased awareness about the nutrition between the Indian breed and other breeds (A1 vs A2 milk). I am sure that commercial interests will drive those directions.

Tragedy of Indian bulls

As I started looking at the cattle in the goshala, I felt that it was not just a centre of preserving the Indian breed of cattle but a refugee camp for bulls (Male cattle). It brought out another tragedy that is unfolding for Indian bulls.

With the advent of modern machinery, ox and bull have become irrelevant in transportation and fieldwork. While female infanticide is prevalent among morally bankrupt people, it is the reverse in the cattle. People rejoice when the calf is a female but frown when it is a male. Male calves have absolutely no future in the case of milk machines cows. Since most breeding happens using artificial insemination, bulls are also not used for the reproduction process. As most Indians worship cows, they can’t send them to slaughterhouses. Goshalas are the best bet for such less fortunate calves.

Veganism

Not just meat-eating, many people consider the milk industry as exploitation of animals and become vegans by abstaining from all kinds of animal products. The knowledge about the animal industry contributing to global warming is also driving people to become vegans.