
I love Saturday mornings. Farm fresh eggs with cheese, whole milk with cream straight from our cow, (whom we've nicknamed Bessie) and lots of rich Indian coffee in the cool of the day. As I wash the breakfast dishes, I look out our kitchen window to see 2 bullocks wander by in the pasture next door. As with most bullocks in this area of southern India, their horns are brightly painted red and green with the tips covered in brass cups topped with balls and bells. The dishes will have to wait while I grab my videocamera and head outside for a closer look. Before I can see him, I can hear his horn bells jangling constantly as the darker one strips most of the leaves off a small tree growing in the pasture. In less than a minute, he moves on toward his partner, stopping here and there to graze in the grass. I wonder about the constant jingling of his bells. Does he wonder, “Is it just me or do you hear that ringing sound too?”
Hindus adorn their cows and bullocks with paint, powders, flowers, bells, etc. because they hold cows in high esteem and respect them for their gentle, giving nature. Such decorations are part of annual agricultural festivals that honor cows. They give
Hindus adorn their cows and bullocks with paint, powders, flowers, bells, etc. because they hold cows in high esteem and respect them for their gentle, giving nature. Such decorations are part of annual agricultural festivals that honor cows. They give