LUCKNOW: After making a fervent appeal to give Ganga the status of India’s national river, Sanatan Brahma Foundation believed to be an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has floated the idea of giving the status of national to cow instead of tiger, which is currently enjoying the same status. Members of the foundation are of the view that until the Centre declares Ganga as the national river and cow the national animal, their agitation would continue and intensify with each passing day.
Speaking to TOI, chairman of the foundation, Ashok Kumar Pandey admitted that the Sanatan Brahma Foundation is one of the hundreds of branches of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and is an social organisation, which is engaged in restoring the pristine glory of the Indian culture and traditions, which over the years have eroded and have also faded from the public memory. “The foundation (Sanatan Brahma Foundation) is one of the branches of the RSS, and is engaged in social activities throughout the country,” said Pandey.
The association with the RSS also became candidly clear when senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Shiv Pratap Shukla (vice-president of UP unit), Vindhyavasini Kumar, Chandra Prakash Agnihotri and Devendra Shukla along with other party members and functionaries also attended the event at Sardar Patel Pratima. Participants on this occasion also ignited 1008 lamps, while taking pledge to wok in this direction, and stop not till the goal is reached.
When asked what prompted the organisers to press for the national animal status for cow, when the same status exists for tiger, Pandey, said, “A tiger is known for its carnivorous nature, a cow on the other hand is revered owing to the fact that from its milk to urine and dung are being used by the mankind.” In a lighter vein, Pandey further stated that tigers have now more or less been confined to the zoological gardens, while the cow can be spotted anywhere in the country.
“Denmark, which has become synonymous with dairy industries and dairy products owes its success to cow. As a result, the per litre cost of milk in Denmark is barely Rs 5,” Pandey said and added that if the Danish people can enrich their lives solely using the cow products, then what stops India from achieving the same growth curve.
Speaking on the occasion, Vaid Ajay Dutt Sharma, said, “As per ancient healing and medicinal practices, cow milk is one of the best mediums used for delivering medicines to the patients. In olden days, the Vaid used to tell the family members of the patient to give a particular feed to the cow for a specific period of time, which would act as a medicine for the patient. This mode of treatment has been successful in the case of liver cirrhosis, and even medical science has proved the validity of this type of treatment.” He further added as the quantity of carbon dioxide released by a cow is barely 5% of the air it breathes in. “All these facts and figures reiterate the fact that cow is the genuine claimant for tag of the national animal,” stated Pandey.