I talked in an earlier entry about things specific to India. I omitted to mention two very important items: cows and elephants.
Everyone knows that cows are considered holy by the hindus and therefore not to be tampered with.
Stories of cows in the road causing traffic jams, since no-one would go and shoo them away, belong, however, to the past. I have seen a lady selling corn cobs giving a greedy cow a right hiding with a twig for trying to sneak off with one of her produce. And buses honking to high heaven and practically nudging cows with their bumpers to clear the road.
Most cows are dairy cattle, but a few, apparently, are free roaming wild cows. These lofty animals can be seen in all kinds of unlikely settings, such as hanging out at the beach (all that grazing potential),
in the main streets of vast cities,
and just generally wandering around and eating all sorts of non-green stuff, that one would think doesn't go far in filling a hungry stomach. Let alone two. For example, I once saw a calf chewing a poster off a wall.
Yet, even though some specimens have their ribcage showing, cows do have an elevated position compared to most animals. They are certainly a recurring theme in temples, where the cow statues, nandi, are extremely common and worshipped.
In temple ceremonies, golden or silver effigies of cows are carried around and worshipped with great pomp and circumstance.
There are also special religious rituals held, where cows are blessed. During these rituals the horns of the cows are painted with different colours. After all, it's India: Any excuse to make a bit of a splash with colours!
When staying in Mahabalipuram, my friend and I woke up with the early birds one day to catch a ride to a nearby village and attend their weekly cow market. What a weird and wonderful atmosphere that place had! Firstly the place itsels - in a forest of old trees with massive aerial roots groping down towards the ground.
Then the cows themselves - all possible shapes and colours - a diversity that one would never see back home. Some seemed more related to water buffalo than cows,
other shaggy, small and hairy cows seemed somewhat related to guinea pigs.
The most majestic horns where borne proudly by cows (buffalo?) used to pull carts. These animals are valued and expensive - selling at around 3.000 euros per head.
Business was brisk. Deals were strck and cows were loaded onto itty-bitty trucks, which frankly didn't seem quite up to the job at times.
Yes, our bowine friends. What could possibly be holier?
Elephants of course! The living incarnations of Ganesha.
Elephants now. Hands up, how many of you thought elephants were a uniformly grey colour? Well, I'm not sure if that's the colour of the African Elephant, but it certainly was the colour of the elephants in black and white Tarzan movies, which were so important as a reference to all things exotic in my formative years. But Indian elephants are grey - and pink! They boast a glorious splatter of pink freckles, which are unique to each elephant. Some have pink ears, some pink trunks, some have lovely dotted patterns in pink here and there.
These elephants are just gorgeous - and very friendly. They also eat all the time - so they need to work for their keep. Elephants tend to be either government elephants or private elephants helping out in all sorts of tasks from clearing forests and road work to rescue work. I remember a touching video I saw in the tsunami memorial in Banda Aceh in Sumatra. It was made to honour the many elephants who had a crucial role in clearing the wreckage and trying to find survivors in the rubble right after the tsunami. Anyway, back to India. A few of the bigger temples also have temple elephants. These elephants participate in ceremonies in the temple.
But their main job is to be the mother Amman-type hug therapists of the animal world. For a pittance (5-10 rupias - so around 10 cents), a sacred temple elephant will bless you. First you gently offer the note to the elephant, who daintily picks it out of your hand with its trunk (no such thing as a free hug). She/he then passes the note on to her/his handler, after which, glory of glories, a springy, rubbery and slighly moist trunk will descent gently on your head and bless you!!
Elephant kisses! I tell you this could be the new rage in animal therapy. You just feel sooo good after that moist and gentle pat on the head from a kindly grey - and pink - giant.
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