KOCHI: The humble cow has been quite a sensation for some days now. News of the Animal Welfare Board suggesting Valentine’s Day being celebrated as ‘Cow Hug Day’ triggered a meme fest in India and drew global interest over the past week.
International news outlets such as the Washington Post, Time, Guardian, BBC, CNN, Independent, Sky, and even the Smithsonian splashed stories on the circular and its retractions a couple of days later.
I love cows. I grew up listening to stories from my mother on how cows helped sustain her rather large family; how she and her sisters played with the cows and calves; and how my grandmother had set up a ‘micro barn’ within their modest living space.
Somehow, I find cows endearing, and would love to hug them on any given day. And that makes me wonder: aren’t all these cow critics being plain insensitive when they mock one’s love or veneration for the benevolent beast?
Not very long ago, there were several international reports on “cow cuddling” becoming a trend in the west. They even highlighted the “therapeutic effects” and the science behind the feel-good factor. One American news show said people were paying $75 for an hour of cow therapy.
“Is cow hugging the world’s new wellness trend?” read the headline of a 2020 BBC article.
“Dubbed ‘koe knuffelen’ in Dutch (literally “cow hugging”), the practice is centred on the inherent healing properties of a good human-to-animal snuggle,” it noted.
“Cow cuddlers typically start by taking a tour of the farm before resting against one of the cows for two to three hours. The cow’s warmer body temperature, slower heartbeat and mammoth size can make hugging them an incredibly soothing experience, and giving the animal a backrub, reclining against them or even getting licked is all part of the therapeutic encounter.
“Cow cuddling is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress by boosting oxytocin in humans, the hormone released in social bonding. The calming effects of curling up with a pet or emotional support animal, it seems, are accentuated when cuddling with larger mammals.”
Now, when “cow cuddling” becomes “cow hug” in India, it becomes a joke for some. Why?
Moreover, the Animal Welfare Board’s circular was a mere appeal to “cow lovers” — it was not imposed on anyone. “We all know that the cow is the backbone of Indian culture and rural economy, sustains our life, represents cattle wealth and biodiversity,” reads the circular.
“In view of the immense benefits of the cow, hugging [the] cow will bring emotional richness and hence will increase our individual and collective happiness. Therefore, all cow lovers may also celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug Day, keeping in mind the importance of the mother cow and making life happy and full of positive energy.”
Do note: “cow lovers may also celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug Day”.
A ‘liberal’ friend, a good one, pointed out that there were unnecessary references to the “dazzle of western civilization” and Indian “heritage” in the circular. So what?
“Why was Valentine’s Day chosen specifically?” he asks. Well, I asked him why he never had a similar problem with ‘Hug a dog’ campaigns on the very same day. Or, an ‘Adopt a pet’ campaign specifically on, say, Diwali?
So, does that mean a new-gen, ‘woke’ campaign or story on bonding with animals is ‘cool’, but any initiative on India’s traditional love for cows is ‘uncool’?
I am still wondering why the circular was withdrawn. In fact, there should be more cow cuddling, cow tourism, and cow adoption initiatives in India. Positive initiatives that don’t inconvenience anyone in any way, that is.
That reminds me of the greatest advocate of ‘cow love’ the modern world has seen: Mahatma Gandhi. I thought I should spend quality time on Valentine’s Day, reading up on some Gandhian writings.:
“The cow is a poem of pity. One reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the mother to millions of Indian mankind. Protection of the cow means protection of the whole dumb creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was, began with the cow. The appeal of the lower order of creation is all the more forcible because it is speechless.” (Young India, 6-10-1921)
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“I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world.” (Young India, 1-1-1925)
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“My ambition is no less than to see the principle of cow protection established throughout the world. But that requires that I should set my own house thoroughly in order first.”
(Young India, 29-1-1925)
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“The central fact of Hinduism is cow protection. Cow protection to me is one of the most wonderful phenomena in human evolution. It takes the human being beyond this species. The cow to me means the entire sub-human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realise his identity with all that lives. Why the cow was selected for apotheosis is obvious to me. The cow was in India the best companion. She was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible….
“Cow protection is the gift of Hinduism to the world. And Hinduism will live so long as there are Hindus to protect the cow…. Hindus will be judged not by their tilaks, not by the correct chanting of mantras, not by their pilgrimages, not by their most punctilious observances of caste rules, but their ability to protect the cow.” (Young India, 6-10-1921)
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“Mother cow is in many ways better than the mother who gave us birth. Our mother gives us milk for a couple of years and then expects us to serve her when we grow up. Mother cow expects from us nothing but grass and grain. Our mother often falls ill and expects service from us. Mother cow rarely falls ill. Here is an unbroken record of service which does not end with her death. Our mother, when she dies, means expenses of burial or cremation. Mother cow is as useful dead as when she is alive. We can make use of every part of her body-her flesh, her bones, her intestines, her horns and her skin. Well, I say this not to disparage the mother who gives us birth, but in order to show you the substantial reasons for my worshipping the cow.”
(Harijan, 15-9-1940)
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Okay, time for me to step out in search of a cow to hug. Have a cuddly week ahead!
As awkward as a cow on a crutch: “Very clumsy or uncoordinated.”
Cash cow: “A business or investment that generates a large or consistent profit.”
Like a cow peeing on a flat rock: “slang With intensity, typically of rain.”
A sacred cow: “Someone or something that is considered above reproach or immune to negative criticism. The phrase refers to the veneration of the cow in Hinduism.”
Holy cow: “An exclamation of surprise, shock, or astonishment.”
Till the cows come home: “For a very long, indefinite amount of time; forever.”
Be cowed into (something): “To be pressured, shamed, or scared into doing something or acting a certain way.”
Why buy a cow when the milk is free?: “(Proverb) If someone is already able to obtain some commodity or benefit freely or easily, then they won’t be inclined to pay for the source of it.”
Don’t have a cow!: “Calm down!; Don’t get so excited.”
There is no cow on the ice: “Something is not worth your concern; don’t worry about it.”
Cow/moo juice: “Cow’s milk.”
Bull and cow: “(Slang) A noisy argument.”
Inflate a cow: “To boast or brag.”
The tune the old cow died of: “Advice or complaints instead of actual help. The phrase refers to an old song about a farmer who serenaded his cow about the lack of grass, instead of feeding her.”
Déjà moo: “Old bulls**t.”