Saturday, May 3, 2008

The Holy Cow

Once upon a time there was a small village in one of the godforsaken corners of the country ..Poor and dilapidated. There were no rains ..no crops and the neighboring villages had often looted this village thrice (lets name the village ..mm..Indunagar) ...

They all sat down and thought over it and finally the Panch decided that it was only because that they did not have enough cows that they are facing all these problems.
So they formed a board of villagers held a selection interview for the best cows around the village. Now they promised that whichever cow is selected will have the honour of village on his shoulders. (errr..her shoulders). She would be crwoned with the best thorns and paraded with the best bells. She will get the right of the way in the village streets and not only that she will get her own platoon of cows to command .
This was a lucrative offer for all cows in the vicinity of the village . All the cows who were struggling with their masters , or were too young and full of josh. All left their jobs and jumped into the selection board.
After days of tough tests the board selected the best cow and her platoon of cows . They named the best cow "holy cow" and awarded her with all they had promised.
For first few weeks the "holy Cow" was the talk and the awe of the village. Everytime the neighbours tried anything funny the "holy cow " would be there with her platoon. Soon her fear and awe spread around the villages and no one dared touch Indupur.
Thus "holy cow " had actually nothing to do rather than train her commandoes. Seeing this the buffaloes of the village got jealous. More so when they had to toil every day at the field and also give milk ..without so much as being given half the glory of the holy cow.
So they approached the Sarpanch and logically told him that the need for the "holy Cow" was over. The present Sarpanch was son of the previous one and had been born in a secure and prosperous village unlike his father..! And the buffaloes logic was unbeatable.
While all this was goin on "Holy Cow" came to kno of all this scheeming. However so drunk it was with her glory that she laughed at the antics of the buffaloes.
She was confidant that no one could touch her..after all she was a "holy Cow". Her commandoes prodded her , the goats tried to make her see some reason....But everytime she would wave them off by shaking her golden bell.
Gradually ..the sarpanch started withdrawing her privilages ....First it was the right to choiciest grass, then it was her right of the way, then her commandoes were insulted ...
With all this happening , the "Holy Cow" refused to look . Everytime she would relax with her grass and a bottle of mineral water and shake her golden bell and say.."I am a holy Cow"!!
All this time the buffaloes were united and were meaner than before..

One day as the Holy Cow was elaborating her exploits of fightin the enemy in her times..the news came came that the "Holy Cow" has been ordered by the Village Work Commission that it had to give Milk like ordinary Cows to survive.
Hearing this she fell off her hay chair and reality struck her..but it was too late.

Soon she and all her Comando Cows were herded into stables and milked for all they were worth.To rub insult into injury the supervisors were the buffaloes. But now it was too late..
The villagers milked the "holy Cow" for all she was worth till she became frail and weak like the rest of the cows ...Her commamdoes also lost all their training and got involved into petty tactics...

One fine spring morning the neighbors attacked the village. The sarpanch did what was told to him by his father.He called on the Holy Cow. But now that the daily milking was on the Holy Cow had lost weight and strength.
Still the Holy Cow mustered her courage got her group united and went to face the arme at the gates of the village..

History tells us that the village was looted thoroughly this time by her neighbours houses burnt and people killed ..History also tells us that till the final wee hours of that eventfull morning ..an old shriveled Cow and her band of rag tag cows held the enemy at the gates till their last drop of blood...!!

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