The very fact that so many people have been concerning themselves about the Cow in India, and for so long. shows that the Cow to Indians is much more than a mere domestic animal. It is, therefore, important that the role of this animal is more widely appreciated here, as well as abroad, where there seems to be some misconception about cur attitude towards the Cow.
A number of articles have been published on this subject by our statesmen, political administrators, technicians and others during the last decade, particularly during the annual Gopastami week celebrations-a week earmarked for highlighting the problem of the Cow through the press, radio, public speeches, livestock shows, etc. The main accent all along has been on developing an economic bias towards the Cow.
The pre-election year of 1966 culminated in a serious controversy leading to riots in the capital city of Delhi over the issue of banning cow-slaughter in India. At that time views were expressed for and against cow-slaughter by people in various walks of life. In fact, a regular debate occurred through the columns of one of the prominent English dailies of U.P. There were also editorials summing up the general public reaction.
A review of this literature gives a fair cross-section of public opinion regarding the problem of the Cow in India and an idea as to how wide and deep are the ramifications of this problem, which affects the very vitals of our rural economy. It also shows that an average Indian has an open mind on the subject and is constantly reviewing this problem from time to time under changing economic conditions.
The Editor has done well in compiling this information in the form of a book, which will make widely dispersed material, readily available in one place. The Editor himself has contributed quite a few articles on the subject.
I sincerely hope that this book would help a better appreciation of the problem of the Cow in India and in re-moving the notion that it is merely a sentimental overflow of an Indian mind.
Perhaps, there is no other domestic animal in the world as cow in India, which has either given rise to so much controversy or which has been so much exploited. It is said that some have used it as an instrument of political manoeuvring, others have used it for inciting religious sentiments, yet all along she has silently and patiently continued to contribute to the economy of millions of farmers, irrespective of their status, and to Indian Agriculture whose very existence has so far depended upon bullock power provided by the cow's progeny. It is only its utility to them that has developed a fervour in their minds bordering on devotion.
It seems, that the importance of the cow is not yet fully understood by many of our countrymen, leaving aside the foreigners, who are away from the problem and usually manage to have only a glimpse of it. It is being said that next to our food problem, cow is the topic which affects our image abroad these days. It is, therefore, very necessary to understand and explain the role that cow plays in our economy both at home as well as abroad. It is only when one goes deep into the problem that it is realised that the cow problem is not so straightforward or as simple as it looks on the surface, and that its ramifications are so widespread in our rural economy.
The main question that is raised is, that there are too many cattle in the country. Some gain this impression because they see animals wandering along the roadside, others on the basis of shortage of feeds and fodder for cattle, and quite a few may have carried this impression by an occasion-al obstruction caused to the traffic in cities by wandering cattle. It may however be said, in the very beginning, that the problem of a few stray cattle in the cities or sub-urban areas has hardly any bearing on the major problem of cattle husbandry in the country. This can be solved easily enough if the municipalities and the corporations were only to exercise the existing licensing laws more strictly.
The opinion of others is based on the availability of feeds and fodders for our cattle. There is no doubt that there is shortage of feeds and fodders. If this were the only consideration, then the much too obvious and simple conclusion would be, that these animals are surplus, but on the other hand, if requirement of cattle were to be considered, keeping in view the needs of myriads of human beings, it would appear, that their number is, after all, not so large.
The need of a large cattle population in the country may be judged from the fact, that the number of cattle per person depending upon agriculture in India is the lowest in the world, except for Japan and Pakistan. India has 0.58 cattle (excluding buffaloes) per person depending upon agriculture, while Belgium, Denmark, U.K., U.S.A. and Canada have about 3 to 4 animals and Australia and New Zealand as many as 13 animals per person. The requirement of the animals has obviously to be judged according to the need of the population and the purpose for which they are used by them. Even though there are good dairy breeds of cattle in India, by and large, even upto this date, cattle are primarily maintained for bullock production, for draft. Until such time the bullocks can be replaced or their requirement reduced, of which there seems to be no possibility in the near future, it would be necessary to maintain the requisite number of breeding cows.
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