THE COW
J.C. Kumarappa
The Cow Conference held at Amritsar recently laid great stress on the place the cow occupies in our rural economy. Apart from the programme for the preservation of the cow as an animal, we have also to consider the steps to be taken to build up the economy symbolised by the cow. We cannot take up isolated items and concentrate on those without at the same time attempting to consolidate village life on all fronts.
From this broader approach any encouragement given to the cultivation of long-staple cotton for mills is tantamount to the destruction of the cow, as the seeds of long-staple cotton are not available as cattle-feed because of the fuzzy short-staple cotton being left unlinted on the seed. Owing to this the bullocks are deprived of their protein diet—and our villages are dependent on these animals for the satisfactory working of their economy.
The opening of Vanaspati factories, again, cuts across this economy. It deprives people of a wholesome article of diet—vegetable oil—and replaces it by indigestible hydrogenated oils, and sets up unfair competition with the teli.
The building of expensive roads surfaced with asphalt, cement etc., while being wholly unnecessary for the village economy, takes away the part-time transportation employment of the bullocks. Such roads encourage draining the villages of their products. They are harmful to the unshod animals and dislocate the self-sufficient village economy.
It is not necessary to multiply instances. The cow symbolizes one way of economic life just as much as the internal combustion engine and the motor lorry typify quite another way of economic life. The choice is before us. We may choose the one or the other but we cannot make a hotchpotch of it. If we decide in favour of the cow we have to take up that economy in all its aspects.
It is imperative that the provincial governments that are now seriously thinking of rural development should clarify the issues and announce a definite line of action. No haphazard attack will solve the problem.
(Gram Udyog Patrika, Nov. 1946).