Although government policies in recent years have enhanced threats to national heritage, there is unfortunately no consensus on opposing the cavalier decisions, being taken without adequate studies or consultation. Sadly, various affiliates of the Sangh Parivar, which never get tired of speaking on the need to protect national heritage, have not come forward in any significant way to protect this heritage.
Not much attention has been given to the need to protect bullocks, for example, which have been such an integral part of India’s agriculture, rural transportation and energy for several centuries. They were abruptly sidelined in some parts of the country with the advent of tractors. But bullocks continue to serve in large parts of rural India and are prized by farming households. They are deemed to be sacred in many parts of India and considerable attention is given to maintain them in good health. They are mentioned with reverence in mythology and ancient texts; and Prem Chand’s classic story ‘Do Bailon Ki Katha’ and its film-version Hira Moti (known also for its great folk music), one might say, immortalized the familiar bullock.
Increasingly neglected by governments and policy wonks, bullocks face another existential threat with the Government actively promoting ‘sexed semen technology’ aimed at ensuring that male calves are not born and only females are born.
This is a strange stand for a government to take, especially one which speaks so strongly for cow protection. One of the ministers boasted, as reported in the media, that cow production factories will be created using this technology. Nothing can be more ridiculous as no species can be procreated, promoted and protected on the basis of one sex only. The spread of sexed semen technology has been increasingly encouraged during the last six or seven years and there has been hardly any opposition to it; although with the advent of Covid-19, opposing the policy is more urgent than ever because we now know that messing thoughtlessly and arbitrarily in unnatural ways with animal life is one of the factors behind the origin and spread of new and unknown diseases.
Similarly, a recent decision by the union government is to develop the edible oil sector by promoting the non-traditional source of palm oil. As palm oil is much cheaper to produce, although it is of lower value in terms of nutrition and medicinal use compared to traditional oilseeds, support from the Government will soon make it dominate the market. This will be at the cost of the invaluable and rich heritage of traditional oilseeds like groundnuts, sesame, mustard and coconut.
