JOIN USThis was rather an unusual exhibition-cum-music festival! Have you ever heard a festival dedicated to our holy cow?
Well, this is the answer. Yes. Recently, the City saw its first ever annual ‘Holy Cow Music Festival’. A two-day festival had the theme of celebrating and protecting Indian breeds of cow.
The first day saw exhibition cum sale of animal and environment friendly products and various organic food products too. There were stalls selling vegetarian foods and snacks, cow panchgavya products, non-leather items, pet care products, organic products, rural handicrafts and other products. Along with celebrating the glory of cow, Jayadev (John) Richardson from London and vrajavadhus with their international band performed ‘rock kirtan’.
The sole moto of Holy Cow Foundation is to protect the Indian desi cow. Aimed at promoting products made from Cow dung -- manure, dhoopbati, agnihotra samidha, air purifier kit and urine – pesticide, phenyls etc., the foundation works towards enabling sustainability of the cows and creating awareness about the condition of our cows.
Anuradha Modi founder of Holy Cow Foundation, explained her initiative. “Through this we want convey our message to the world that the holy cow is not just for giving milk but also they are economically sustainable. This is possible when her cow dung and urine are fully utilised in making various products. Manure and pesticides made from cow dung and urine are the healthy and environment friendly alternatives to chemical farming.”
The other products available included body scrubs made from cow dung, dung-based paper, mosquito coils and even shampoo filled with cow urine, which is said to have anti-fungal properties.
The poor state of cow in India is not unknown. Around 60,000 cows are slaughtered daily in India and India is one of the prime exporters of beef and leather. The goodness of cow however extends beyond. 60 litres of desi cow milk contains one gram gold; cowdung from one cow is adequate enough to fertilise five acres of land and its urine can protect 10 acres of land from insects.
For blood pressure patients, stroking a cow for a few minutes every day for 10 days can bring down the BP to normal. Even a cow which has stopped giving milk can be useful for a farmer can earn by selling cowdung as an organic manure and pesticides from urine.
As responsible citizens, it’s the duty of every individual to respect every cow and not abandon her when she needs us the most, is the message that the Holy Cow Festival promoted.