A meadow with one cow!

It was after three weeks that I took a walk after sunrise today. I was restricted because of keratitis in my eyes.

I sighted some birds. What was special was sighting this cow in the meadow beside a stream. I was fascinated by the large white mark on its face. While I was photographing the cow, a passerby said that 'it is a special cow which gives about ten litres of milk a day. Not many cows have a prominent white mark  on its face'. As he kept talking about cows, I realised how the cattle farming has suffered a big loss in rural areas due to lack of open space.  There are industrial or residential complexes competing for land space in the rural areas, which denies cattle to have open space for grazing. 

So from cattle farming, the rural community has moved to have dairy farms and sell the milk in the co-operative societies which are located in the rural areas. Some people have cows or buffalos in a stable adjacent to their house, not more than five in number usually. Some people jointly hold large stables for fifty or so animals. 

What came home to me as I listened to the story of this elderly person from his experience with cattle farming for thirty years, is his utter disappointment with the cattle feed industry which escalated the cost of the feed and reduced the quality of the feed. The government who offers financial subsidy to these industries do not seem to bother about the cost or quality of the feed. He recalled how the poor quality of cattle feed reduced the milk production because of which some follow the illegal practice of administering hormone injection before milking the animal to get more milk. 

Every story pertaining to  rural life has many twists and turns. 

Watching this single cow instead of a herd of them in the meadow told me a lot about the fast changing scene in rural areas!

No wonder rural distress is a crisis situation. I wonder if it receives the due attention it deserves! 

M.C.Mathew(M.C.Mathew)