The Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra has turned into a mass movement in its initial days itself. The enthusiasm developed among the people by the Yatra has started agitating the people. The speeches of the saints are infusing confidence in the people. The subyatras being taken out in many states are also awakening the people at the grass-roots level. The groups of workers are educating the people about the need of cow protection and preservation.
According to Shri Hukum Chand Sanwala, vice president of the Yatra, on the first day of the Yatra itself, the people waited for hours at the places fixed to welcome the Yatra in bright sunlight. The Yatra is normally proceeding late due to unprecedented reception being accorded to it by people at different places. People stop the Yatra in mid-way and do not allow moving further till they welcome the saints, perform goupuja and express their commitment for cow protection. People in villages appear to be happier, as they feel it is for the first time that somebody is fighting for their cause. People from all sections of the society including children, youth, old and women are participating in the Yatra with full vigour and fervour. The Yatra has also cleaned the image of Indian youth who are depicted as having a penchant for anti-Indian culture by a section of the media. The youth were seen highly energetic for cow and village protection.
The way the villagers extended welcome to the Yatra in Punjab is a clear indication that they are ready to fight for their rights and also for cow protection. “The Yatra is not only mobilising the common man for cow protection but is also establishing the fact that the forces committed to restore the pride of the nation have not yet weakened. Women in Hisar, Haryana, distributed more than 10,000 food packets to the gobhaktas. An emotional wave engulfed the areas of Punjab where the Yatra visited. It also received a warm welcome while entering into Jammu on October 6, which is considered highly sensitive from security point of view,” said Shri Shankarlal, secretary of the Yatra.
Describing the cow as an integral part of every Hindu family, leading saint of Haridwar Swami Akhileshwaranand termed it an irony that there is a strict ban on cow slaughter in Muslim-dominated state of Jammu & Kashmir and the people are fighting for it in the Hindu-dominated states. He said if the cow is properly protected today, the Indian economy would defeat the US economy in coming 20 years. Acharya Baldev, Haryana Prant president of the Yatra and state president of Arya Samaj, described the cow slaughter as a mark of disgrace on the face of entire Hindu society.
Gokarna Peethadhishwar Shankaracharya Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji said he would fight till his last breath for cow protection. It is to be noted that Shri Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji is the only saint in India who has successfully preserved all the surviving 33 breeds of Indian cows. In the year 1947, there were over a hundred breeds of Indian cows in the country but today we have only 33 breeds and some of them are at the verge of extinction.
Describing the Yatra as an effort to fulfil the dreams of Gandhiji, Akhil Bharatiya Gram Vikas Pramukh of RSS Dr Dinesh said the Yatra would prove a milestone in strengthening the cow-based agriculture, social and economical structure. He was addressing a gathering at Shri Ramaclub Charitable Park in Sirsa on October 2. Citing the statistics he said at the time of Independence 90 per cent people used to live in villages, but today, due to suicidal policies of the government, the number of the people living in villages has declined to 70 per cent. People are migrating to cities due to lack of employment. Villages are turning desolated and deserted while cities are becoming overcrowded and the most unfortunate aspect of it is that our policymakers describe it as ‘development’. Drawing the attention of the gobhaktas to cow slaughter he pointed out that there are about 36,000 slaughterhouses in the country where lakhs of cattle are killed everyday.
Addressing the gathering in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sewa Pramukh Shri Sitaram Kedilaya said the Yatra is an effort to establish Bharatiya swatva. Since the policymakers did not pay adequate attention to Bharatiya prakrati and sanskriti after Independence, it damaged our traditional social structure. “This Yatra will inspire the people for atmachintan and atmadarshan. It is due to negligence on the part of policymakers that farmers today do not prefer farming. The condition of agriculture will change only through the cow and her progeny. It will not only increase the fertility of the soil but will also make the people healthy and prosperous,” he said.
Sant Swatantra Pal Singh of Namdhari sect said people today seem more religious but dharma has vanished from their life. He said both Indian taste and sight have changed due to Western influence. The people of Bathinda extended a warm welcome to the Yatra on October 4. The Yatra had entered into Punjab from Sri Ganganagar. People of Abohar also extended warm welcome to the Yatra. Swami Akhileshwaranand administered the people an oath for cow protection at Malaut Mandi in Muktsar. The saints also honoured three policemen at this function for liberating 18 cows being taken for slaughtereeing.
Addressing the gobhaktas in Barnala Sant Surya Pratap Singh said the reason of growing suicides by farmers is the declining number of cows. Sant Chitprakashanand and Mahant Ramprakash appealed to the people to make the cow herding a habit.
Addressing a massive gathering in Amritsar veteran saint Swami Parmanand said villages are becoming internal colonies of cities. “India is becoming a slave of foreign forces while our villages are becoming a slave of cities. The fact is that villages are getting backward only because of negligence of the cow and her progeny,” he said adding that self-reliant villages are necessary for healthy development of the country and a self-reliant India is necessary for welfare of the whole world.
Prior to it, the Yatra received a warm welcome at Hargovind Nagar in Phagwara. The Yatra reached Bhahar city of Ludhiana in the morning, where it was welcomed with flowers by the people. A grand function was organised at Shri Gobind Goudham situated at Hambada Road. Describing the Yatra as the voice of 80 crore people, Sant Surya Pratap said protection of the cow is protection of the nature and is like visiting many pilgrimage places at one time. Namdhari Sant Shri Harpal Singh also addressed the gathering.
