DailyExpertNews
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For centuries, cows have been considered sacred by India’s predominantly Hindu population, a symbol of both the earth and the divine.
Indeed, the animals are so revered that authorities planned to rename this Valentine’s Day “Cow Hug Day,” hoping the move would both boost citizens’ “emotional wealth” and deal a blow to the local community. heritage over what is perceived as a western cultural culture. import.
But the move appears to have backfired and been halted after sparking a deluge of internet memes, cartoons and jokes from TV hosts about the importance of consent.
The declaration of Feb. 14 as “Cow Hug Day” had come Monday in a statement from the Animal Welfare Board of India, which called cows the “backbone of Indian culture and rural economy.”
The cow is “the giver of everything and provides wealth to mankind” because of its “nutritious nature,” according to the agency, a statutory body that advises India’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy.
It said the urge to hug cows was part of an effort to promote “Vedic” or sacred Hindu traditions, which it claimed had been eroded by Western influence.
“Vedic traditions are on the verge of extinction due to the advancement of (Western) culture over time,” the statement said. “The brilliance of Western civilization has almost forgotten our physical culture and heritage.”
But within a week of the announcement — after days of ridicule and ridicule online — the idea seems off track.
For days, media outlets have mocked the government’s plan by publishing satirical cartoons in which cows run away from men in love, while internet users happily post videos of violent encounters between beast and man.
A presenter on one of India’s leading English-language news channels, DailyExpertNews, was even filmed trying to hug several cows, appearing to punish his advances.
“Consent is important,” he joked during the segment.
This is not the first time the government has caused a stir with its policy on cows – killing or eating them is considered a sin by many Hindus, who make up about 80% of India’s 1.3 billion population.
The sale and slaughter of the animal is banned in much of the country and the animals are often turned loose on the streets and roads that look emaciated, where motorists have to be careful not to get hit.
A cow protection agency known as the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) was established in 2019 by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy.
Two years later, the RKA was forced to postpone a national “cow science” exam indefinitely after the curriculum drew widespread criticism for its unscientific claims about the animal.
Among several unproven claims, the 54-page exam study guide stated that large-scale abattoir activity leads to large earthquakes, suggesting that pain exuded from mass slaughter may be stressful enough to trigger a seismic response.
Without providing evidence, it also stated that native (Indian) cows produce the best quality milk, compared to “exotic cows.”
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 on a wave of Hindu nationalism, the animal has also become increasingly politicised.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strongly linked to conservative Hindu traditions and critics say cow worship has been used as a means to intimidate, harass and even kill Muslims, accusing them in some cases of disrespecting the animals.
According to Human Rights Watch, the crimes committed by cow guards in India have been ignored or covered up by authorities since Modi took office.
During Modi’s 2014 election campaign, he vowed to end a “pink revolution,” a phrase he used to describe the slaughter of cattle.
Other BJP lawmakers have gone a step further.
“I had promised that I would break the hands and legs of those who do not consider cows as their mothers and will kill them,” said Vikram Saini, a legislator for the state of Uttar Pradesh, at an event in March 2017.
The statements sparked outrage in the country where violence against women and minorities is regularly front-page news. Critics say there are double standards within the government and the BJP is not doing enough to protect vulnerable groups.
In 2017, a photo series by photographer and activist Sujatro Ghosh, showing Indian women in cow masks, went viral on social media. The series of images was intended to represent a society where cows are valued more than women.
Speaking to reporters about “Hug a Cow Day” on Thursday – before it was canceled – BJP lawmaker Giriraj Singh said “a very good decision has been made” by the government.
“Cows should be cuddled,” he said. “We must love and hug the cow.”