Stop killing cows
STOP KILLING COWS
Cows occupy a special place in Hinduism, where they are regarded as sacred and deeply revered. Even cow dung and urine are traditionally used for the purification of holy altars, reflecting their ritual significance. Consequently, many Hindu pujas are considered incomplete without these elements. Such is the veneration accorded to this animal in Hindu culture that the cow is affectionately called Gau Mata (Mother Cow). Devout Hindus often touch cows with reverence, seeking their blessings.
The cow is regarded as an exceptional animal in many parts of the world. More especially, in India and Burma, cows are respected and treated humanely. But in Nepal, the cow is not only important from a religious point of view; she is our national animal as well. This is why cows are protected by law and cannot be harmed, let alone slaughtered.
All that is said about cows appears reasonable and understandable. However, Nepali law often suffers from weak implementation. Unfortunately, the legal framework itself seems to create a contradiction concerning the honor and dignity accorded to cows. If not, why does the law allow beef importation and consumption? While it is true that slaughtering cows domestically is prohibited, allowing beef to be imported and consumed may indirectly encourage illegal slaughter. This is a pertinent question that merits thoughtful consideration.
This is
not merely an apprehension; in reality, the import of beef has encouraged some
unscrupulous individuals to slaughter cows and sell their meat locally. In the
recent past, a police team of the Ward Police Office in Khudrikhola, Lahan,
arrested Mohammad Sabir. The police had caught him red-handed selling beef. The
police seized about 40 kg of beef from his possession. In the recent past, an
investigation team from the Department of Commerce raided various meat shops in
Kathmandu, where beef was discovered being sold in the market by some. Hasna
Manandhar and Anil Gupta from Balaju were also detained for selling beef for a
long time.
The bitter reality is that there are many places across the country where cows are slaughtered and their meat is supplied to hotels and restaurants. Such things are performed clandestinely and go unnoticed unless reported to the police by a source.
Cows have an important place in the Hindu religion, and on top of that, the cow is also our national animal. These reasons are more than enough to declare Nepal a Hindu country. Understanding the dignity and religious significance of cows, it is imperative for our government to declare a complete ban on the import and sale of beef in the country. Such an act is completely unacceptable in a country like Nepal, where a cow is revered like a mother, but at the same time her meat is allowed to be imported and consumed. This practice sounds unethical and utterly ridiculous, too.
Today,
beef is available in many malls and department stores across the country, and
it is served in several hotels and restaurants. There are several restaurants
and hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara where beef is included on their menus. When
I asked one of the restaurant owners in Pokhara if mentioning beef on the menu
was legal, he made a sarcastic laugh and said that if the import of beef is legal,
how eating and displaying it on the menu can be illegal.
It is a sheer paradox to learn that we respect the cow as a national animal, call her 'Gau Mata', and at the same time our law allows importing her meat and selling it locally. Such a facility of the law has only made a mockery of the national animal. I am dead sure that if an open survey is conducted, a massive majority of people will vote for an immediate ban on the import and consumption of beef in the country.
Let's pay
humble respect to our national animal with complete reverence. In a real sense,
the cow has such a significant value in Nepali society that importing her meat
will only relegate us to our own eyes, and a sense of guilt will overwhelm us.
Will our so-called lawmakers pay any heed to an issue as sensitive as this?
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| LB Thapa is the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine. |
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