Vol. V, No. 36 Vaisakh 11, 2009, April 21, 1952 Four Annas. Air-/4/6
The Economics of Cow Worship
Ever since Vedic times the worship of the cow has been one of the most distinguishing aspects of Bharati life. The cow is the Mother. She is the sustainer of Life. He services to men render her worship-worthy. Such has been Bharat’s assessment of the value of the cow. Gandhiji also shared these sentiments and called the cow “ a poem on pity”.
All world Worships
We of the present generation are perhaps the first in this country to regard this fact lightly.
We forget that all ancient peoples without exception worshipped the cow and the bull as organic symbols of peace, plenty and fertility. Not a few modern communities have their children partake of cow’s urine or dung in celebration of their “coming of age”. Parsis are one of them. Jews are another. The simple fact is that the bovines are the foundation of modern civilization.
Tillage and Cartage
The bull’s services in terms of ploughing and cartage are immense. According to the Banking Enquiry Committee of 1929, one acre of land cost Rs 17/—by way of animal labour. With our cultivated area at 36 crore acres, our bulls annually yield us Rs 612 crores worth service.
It has been calculated that cartage by bullock cart costs an a verage of one anna per load of one rupee. Under this head the annual services of the bull would amount to Rs 146 crores. Other sundry services are computed by the various official inquiries at Rs 15 crores. These are figurers for 1929. Today their value is at leas twice as much.
Food, Fertilisers & Hides
The cow alone yields us more wealth than any other industry in the country. It is the cow which turns grass etc. into the riches and most perfect human food—Milk.
The average daily milk consumption is 10 ounces per man. That brings the total milk yield to over 4 crore tons. At the rate of 20 a maund, our milk supply would be valued at some Rs 20,000 crores a year. n
Verdict on Abdullah
Hon’ble Prime Minister
The Prime Minister Sri Nehru, confessed in Delhi on Sunday to having been concerned at Sheikh Abdullah’s recent speech at Ranbirsinghpura wherein he had expressed fears regarding the existence of communalism in India.
Jan Sangh Leader Mookerji
Sheikh Abdullah’s speech as reported this morning is a staggering disclosure of the inner working of his mind. “Sheikh Abdullah has declared that he is not in favour of full integration because the Muslims of Kashmir are nervous about communalism in India. This is a strange and sinister statement calculated to strengthen the hands of Pakistan”. To suggest that the lives of Muslims in Kashmir depend on one man, that is, Nehru, reveals not only lack of responsibility, but distrust of a whole nation.
I would appeal to all sections of the people to express their opinion freely on the momentous issue so that the sacrifice made during the past four years may not go in vain and we may be saved from facing disastrous consequences once again, similar to what we witnessed after the tragic partition of our motherland in 1947.”
Socialist Leader Ashok Mehta
I read with great surprise the speech of Sheikh Abdullah. Development of secularism in our country cannot be the responsibility or one section or the other. In that task we are entitled to expect the cooperation of Sheikh Abdullah and the people of Kashmir.
Jammu Leader Premnath
Everyone in the State has been disappointed and shocked at the statements of Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Afzal Beg declaring that the State is independent and that the Constituent Assembly is a sovereign body. It bespeaks an ingratitude which no citizen of Kashmir would endorse.
Akali Leader Master Tara Singh
So long as Sheikh Abdullah is at the head of affairs in Kashmir the State would accede neither to India nor Pakistan but would join Russia. n
