Why do we Need to Protect our Indigenous Indian Cows?

Why do we Need to Protect our Indigenous Indian Cows?

As stated rightly by Lord Krishna

“Humans need cows more than cows need humans. Cows need to be protected for humans to survive.”

This is true for several reasons.

India is known worldwide for a lot of its qualities. From its vast agricultural lands, to its rich cultural heritage, and undeniably, its indigenous cows. Anybody can easily identify an indigenous Indian cow as opposed to a foreign-bred Jersey cow by its mere appearance. Standing tall and beautiful, indigenous Indian cows are often in the shades of brown and white, with a magnificent hump on their backs.

However, did you know that India had over 127 breeds of cattle. Sadly, most of them are now extinct, and India is left with a shocking number of 37 breeds only. This makes it all the more important for us to ensure their survival.

Since time immemorial, our Desi cows have helped us in countless ways from ploughing, to farming, to carrying loads, to providing manure for agriculture, and most importantly, providing healthy milk and original Gir cow ghee that is consumed in every household.

It is not surprising that Indian cows are given the title of mother and addressed as ‘Gau Mata’.

Apart from the contribution of indigenous cows in our lives, even the Indian mythology emphasises on the importance of Indian cows. Our beloved Lord Krishna guarded the cows throughout his life. It is also believed that when the Gods and demons were churning the ocean, Kamdhenu, an indigenous cow, emerged from the ocean of milk to provide us with life-sustaining milk.

As time passed, people became increasingly ignorant towards the value of indigenous Indian cows. Due to misinformation, there was a rise in apathy, and a result, a rise in the neglect of our Gau Mata. People also began believing that foreign-bred cows provided quality milk as opposed to Indian cows, and people stopped to buy Gir cow milk.

It is now scientifically proven that native Indian cows such as Gir cows and Hallikar cows provide better quality milk than mix-breed cows found in foreign countries. This is because native cow milk has A2 protein, which helps in preventing coronary diseases and eliminates the problem of lactose intolerance.

The very cause of lactose intolerance is the A1 protein found in Jersey cows, which does not exist in the A2 milk of indigenous Indian cows. Therefore, it is ideal for anybody to switch to A2 milk and buy Gir cow milk instead. You can also consume Gir cow ghee to reap the diverse benefits it provides.

At Shree Ramana Mahrashi Gau Samvardhan & Dhyan Kendra, we have over 350 Gir cows that reside happily in over 400 acres of land. You can conveniently buy Gir cow milk from Dugdhamrutam along with original Gir cow ghee made from A2 milk of our indigenous Gir cows.

Let us all come together and protect our 37 existing indigenous Indian cows and cherish the benefits they provide in a healthy manner.