Love for pets is increasing day by day on social media. However, what is the main reason for this love? Loneliness, humanity or the desire to become famous on social media. But still, when we see the intellectuals of India imparting knowledge on social media about pets, it seems that just as Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodhigaya, these intellectuals have attained enlightenment after filling their stomachs and hobbies. Because the knowledge that is being imparted is something that a village child gets only through a mouthful. Villagers have always maintained a close relationship with pets. If you want to see the balance between animals and humans, it is clearly seen in villages. Perhaps in cities, trends like #Adoptpet or #SavePets have started, but in villages, pets have been a part of the family for years.
Nowadays, some professionals are seen campaigning for domesticated dogs. If a video of a dog being abused goes viral, they are seen expressing grief as if someone has lost their own. However, it is a different matter that their love for animals is also discriminatory, which is seen only for a particular type of animal or a particular breed of animal. But still, their grief is okay, because humans have no right to abuse animals. In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna has also said that you have no right to destroy a living being that you did not create.
When we look at the villages, these campaigns are seen as part of a way of life. In most villages, a custom is very popular that the first roti is made for the cow and the last roti for the dogs. Now, without getting into the discrimination of the first and the last, according to this method of the village, every family makes two loaves of bread every day for two pets. And every house knows how to feed the street dogs without running any kind of campaign or trend. In fact, this method provides an example of affluent families helping the poor by creating a harmony. This love of the villagers is not just about food, it is also seen as familial to some extent. When a dog gives birth to small puppies in a village street, it is as if a rich man on the street has given birth to a son and there is an atmosphere. At that time, the people of the street who used to beat the dogs and sometimes beat them up on the accusation that they had done something wrong or licked the clean dishes, also had a great affection for the dog that had become a mother. In many streets, small children play with small puppies as child friends and sometimes even eat together without considering the differences of caste. Now, it is seen in the child culture of those children that they learn by watching the elders. I do not know whether it is because they learn by watching the elders, but in big cities where there is no shelter for such puppies, children will be seen making kennels for such puppies in winter. Now these same children will also name the newly born puppy. A vivid description of the love for these dogs is seen in the story ‘Kashimanki Kutri’ by Pannalal Patel.
This is a story of children, but even the people working in the village do not underestimate their love for domesticated animals. Every farmer in the village has their domesticated black and white cats in their fields, and when a farmer goes to the field at night for chowkidari (‘wahu’ in the language of North Gujarat), he may forget his chalam once or twice, but he will never forget to take bread for the farm dogs. Alas! I have personally seen civil wars break out in many houses when women have mistakenly thrown away the bread for the farm dogs in the week. In most cities, it is customary for families to throw the leftover food in the drain or in the dustbin, but in the villages, the invention of the week is like a perpetual vow for dogs and stray animals. Ethvad reminded me that there are showrooms in the city that sell different types of food for domesticated dogs. So, if Ethvad is called Ethvad, many people may think this is useless food. But this Ethvad contains the same food that any family has eaten and grown, so it will be useless to doubt its quality.
It is not just about dogs, but for every cattle breeder, a cow or buffalo is always given the status of a family. There are many buffaloes that do not allow themselves to be milked without their owner, and in such cases, the cattle breeder who has gone on a journey of hospitality will be seen worrying more about his livestock than about the jewelry or money left at home. Sometimes, if someone’s cattle is lost, I have seen with my naked eyes people fasting until their owner finds it, and when an animal dies prematurely, I have seen its owner crying with tears as if a relative has passed away. It’s not just about cows or buffaloes, you will see many scenes in the villages where shepherds herd sheep or goats, carrying a goat on their shoulders when it is not able to walk or is too young.
This is not just about domestic animals, but the brotherhood of the Gir cattle owners with their livestock is well known. The books of many writers contain examples of the mutual affection between cattle owners and livestock owners. In almost all villages, there is a custom of milking cats and snakes. In the old Panchayat social system, if a person commits a crime, even in the punishment, decisions are made in such a way that the interests of animals are protected. For example, if a person breaks any rule of the society, the penalty is fodder for cattle or grain for birds. Indian culture also has a special concept of animals in festivals. In Uttarayan, when kites and DJs are playing in most cities, the practice of gathering in the entire village and making laddus for the village dogs and other animals is very old. Apart from that, if someone wants to cut neem at their house, they call the person who has a camel in the village and give him the cut neem for food. Although bulls have become extinct these days, bulls are worshipped wherever they are used in agriculture.
However, villagers are never seen running any trends or posting stories with hashtags because nowadays, the stories or statuses that appear on social media have been deeply embedded in the village customs and lifestyle for years. Indian society has historically been seen living in harmony with domesticated and wild animals.
This article has been written by Mahesh Rajgor, whose full rights remain with the author.
