In a secular country like India, the sentiments of all communities, whether it be the minorities or the majority matter and thus it’s of the utmost importance that they are revered and no such action is sanctioned or allowed that may hurt these sentiments in a manner that may be deemed hateful. Cow as an animal, is symbolic of Lord Krishna in Hindu Mythology and scriptures. Thus, any form of injury or mistreatment of cows including that which leads to them getting slaughtered is harshly looked down upon and prohibited in almost all parts of India.

Why Cows and other cattle breeds are so important in India?

• Cows including all cattle breeds should be treated humanely and with compassion. They are of utmost importance in Indian society due to the many duties they perform in feeding the population their Milk, and also their waste products- cow dung and urine are important sources of making compost, medicinal amenities, biogas fuel and much more.
• Bulls are equally useful as they help the Indian Farmers who don’t have access to mechanical agricultural implements, the means to plough their field via manual labor. Bulls are also a notable form of transporting commodities via bullock carts in villages and rural areas without proper roads or transportation facilities.

The Cow Protection movement in India has been going on for a long time since decades. People from several communities including Hindus, Buddhists and Jains oppose the slaughter of cattle.

• It’s a relevant movement even now though it has its roots in Colonial India when cows and bulls were killed for their skin, horns, and other vile uses.
• Due to their importance in Indian culture and Hinduism, this movement was strongly supported by Hindus and has since become a keen component of the Hindutva Ideology of all inclusive solidarity and religious faith. It’s this ideology which is why Hinduism is best religion.

Since there’s no amount of knowledge too little about the importance of Cows, one should also be well versed in the practices of Rural India where Generations of Cows have been reared by families who respect the animal for their uses and in some cases, entire livelihoods are based on cattle including those of cattle farmers. There are many organizations and groups of people involved in upholding the values of cow protection. For Instance, Iskcon Dwarka is one such place which has been publicly supportive and teaching on the importance of Cow Protection in Indian Society.

In the face of any violence or malice against cattle, there should be unquestionable solidarity as this represents how India is a secular country of communal harmony where the sentiments and beliefs of one community may not be harmed by members of the same or different community and thus stay protected and the terms, honored.

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