The Bovine-Boon Or Bane?

The cow is a very crucial part of the Hindu culture. This article would deal with the topic of cow in India with reference to the work of Marvin Harris. Harris is an American Anthropologist and renowned cultural materialist Marvin Harris, in his works presents a detailed observation of the symbiotic relationship between the human and bovine population in India. Harris asserts, “The Hindu would rather starve to death than eat his cow.” In ‘The Cultural Ecology of India’s Sacred Cattle’(1966), Harris deals with the main concepts of Indian Cattle complex. In doing so, he puts forward the notion that Indian cattle, far from being useless, are an essential part of India’s productive base. This notion is more visible in another of Harris’ work on a similar theme ‘India’s sacred cow’ in which talking about the Indian scenario, he argues that “Religious restrictions on killing cattle are ecologically sensible; they have developed and persisted to ensure a continuous supply of these valuable animals.” Both these articles by Prof. Harris run parallel to each other. This article focuses on Harris’ idea of culture.

Key Characteristics of the Cow :

1. Milk Production-The buffalo and not the Zebu is considered the ‘dairy cow’. In ‘India’s sacred cow’, it says “In India, the water buffalo is the specialized dairy breed because its milk has higher butterfat content than zebu milk.”

2. Traction– Animals tractions is required to initiate the agricultural cycle dependent upon ploughing. There are large numbers of small landholders entirely dependent on hired animal labour.

3. Dung– in India, cattle dung is the main source of domestic cooking fuel. It can be utilized as a substitute for manure and is also supplied to the government.

4. Useless and Useful Animals– Harris claims that “The peasant whose cow dies is not only crying over a spiritual loss but over the loss of his farm as well.” The most devastating event for a farmer is the loss of a plough buffalo due to disease, old age or accident. In case the farmer his unable to replace the dead animal with another one, he must borrow money to rent/buy another one. The rates are so high that the farmer eventually ends up losing his land.

5. Old age Homes-also known Gowshalas, pinjrapoles and gosadans.These homes run on public charity and also with the support of the local government. They maintain the decrepit cattle until natural death occurs. In case, the cow begins to lactate, the peasant can reclaim the cow and it would be returned to him.

6. Anti-Slaughter legislations– According to Harris, “An important event that helped to shape the modern complex was the Islamic invasion, which took place in the Eighth Century A.D." This instigated in Hindus the need to prevent the slaughter of their sacred animals. Cow worship and curtailment on its slaughter date back to centuries ago. By 1000 AD, Beef-Eating was banned for Hindus. Anti-slaughter laws, however, tends to have adverse impacts. Farmers let their aged, diseased and otherwise useless cattle to live “at the expense of other people crops.” The entire brouhaha over the anti-slaughter legislation leads to a conundrum. While Harris favours religious laws that forbid the slaughter of cattle by stating that it promotes the recovery of the agricultural system by rescuing it from one of its biggest crisis –Monsoon failure. Cow protection was even a part of Gandhi’s ‘Constructive program’ , to quote the man himself, “The Cow is the best companion. She not only gives milk but also makes agriculture possible.” At the same time, it cannot be denied that a rapid increase in the number of wild and aged cattle has become a menace.

India is home to an abundant stock of cattle population. However, it fails to maintain pace with the ever-rising human population. Improvement in the techno-environmental conditions is the need of the hour. Otherwise, in the present scenario, it would not be possible to raise the cattle population to meet societal demands. Nevertheless, the cow continues to enjoy the ‘holy’ status and a symbiotic relationship with its human counterpart.