Rathi cows

[Guest guest]

Haribol. This is an excerpt from" Livestock and Livelihoods"- the Indian

context, about the beautiful Rathi cows. They are keeping these dark brown

cows at Rajasthan Goseva Sangh at their cancer clinic, along with the white

Tharparker, as the milk and urine of a black or dark brown cow cures camcer.

 

As the sun descended into the clear desert horizon, our jeeps sped

silently............north of Bikaner city in Rajasthan towards the Pakistan

border. the lanscape was stark with only a few trees, some camels and almost

no human habitation. A cool winter wind made the drive extremely pleasant as

we made our way to a tiny settlement about 40kms from the border. We were in

search of the Rathi, a breed of cow which is supposedly a mix of the Sahiwal,

the Red Sindhi, the Tharparkar and the Danni breeds of cattle and their

keepers , the Raths, a tribe of Muslim cattle herders.

 

............we found a small settlement which consisted of a house and huge

cattle shed.It was empty save for the women of the household. The women

informed us the cows were still away grazing but were expected to be back

soon.They asked us to wait and quietly disappeared. They were not comfortable

talking to a group of urban strangers.

 

Shortly afterwards in the twilight we heard the tinkling of cow bells and even

as we turned we saw the herd returning walking with a dignity that any model

would find it hard to match. This gorgeous herd of 40 or so catlle, more

disciplined than school children happily wended their way to the shed. One of

the women came and called out softly. A cow came up to her and she placed a

vessel beneath it. Very soon we heard the sound of milk being drawn into a

vessel for our tea.. There was no tethering of the animals, no coaxing or

cajoling was required. After being milked the cow quietly joined the rest of

the herd in the shed. Soon we could hear the cheerful sounds of animals

consuming their dauily ration of special green fodder and concentrate.

 

There was no doubt that these people and their herds were some of the best

managed anywhere in the country. We turned our attention to the Rath who

owned the herd. He knew bout the best fodder, the best methods of rearing.,

the best medicines and the best methods to be followed when the animals become

sick. There was a discernible deep bond strengthened over centuries between

this tribe and their herd, which we realised was not just about management

skills , but also indicative of the ideal kind of relationship humans and

animals ought to have.