JOIN USHaryana’s penchant for cows is set to touch an all new high. Cows will replace glamourous models at a “beauty pageant” where Haryana’s 'holier than thou' bovine will sashay down the ramp on four-legs. The two-day event begins February 27 in Rohtak.
Indigenous cows being showcased will be the attraction of the show. And beyond just adding a splash of colour in contrast, the black buffaloes too will walk the ramp alongside cows. What’s more? Proud owners can fancy a chance to win Rs 1 lakh cash prize, just in case their bovine manages to charm the panel of judges with their mooing and more.
Days before Valentine’s Day in 2012, a similar event was organised in Haryana’s Jind district, just that the event was an exclusive show of exotic buffaloes sashaying down the ramp, not cows. Haryana has embarked upon a plan to promote indigenous breeds of cows instead of cross-bred ones. It wants to build a brand of sorts around its indigenous cow breeds. Haryana is home to Murrah buffaloes, which have earned the sobriquet 'black gold', with 70 per cent of the total buffaloes in the state of the exotic Murrah variety.
The BJP regime in Haryana misses no opportunity to associate itself with the 'holy cow', and the tendency at times appears to border around its agenda of saffronisation. That apart, cows are special creatures in Haryana. Killing of cows, eating beef or selling it invites stringent punishment, in some cases up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine as stipulated in a recently enacted law in Haryana.