Most of India worships cows as a sacred animal. This led India to pass one of the best cow protection laws in the world. Long sentences and rigorous punishments are legally possible for crimes like harassing and killing cows in several states of India. In many states, even possession of beef is sufficient ground for legal action.
On the other hand, incidents of eve-teasing, rape and murder of women are on the rise. Therefore, capital punishment for rapist was legalized a few years back (after the infamous gang rape incident at Delhi in 2012).
Despite all these, cow vigilantes (self-proclaimed religious gau-rakshakas / cow-protectors) frequently take law in their own hands and incidents of mob-lynching are on the rise. Mobocracy started to take decision in favour of cows over-ruling all constitutional laws.
Do you think this as a legitimate ground to compare women safety issues with cows?
A Kolkata based artist Mr. Sujatro Ghosh found this as an opportunity to raise awareness about women safety in a weird way. He bought a latex cow mask and photographed several women wearing the cow masks. Through social media, he started posting these photographs of women with cow masks shot at various locations like public spaces, tourist points, trains, boats, homes etc. His Instagram handle received international attention and several women from across the globe offered themselves as models to pose for his travelling cow project.
Check some of his widely circulated photographs:
Isn't showing a cow dancing on western beats or drinking a beer in the bar derogatory? According to Indian culture, such depictions are of very disparaging nature and offensive to the sentiments of religious Hindus who worship cow as their mother..
But you may have noticed that the campaign is not limited to just India. See this shoot in France:
Are Cows in India Safer Than Women?
But this whole campaign is based on the notion that cows in India are safer than women. Unfortunately, Sujatro Ghosh and all the women posing as models and the ones praising this campaign are not aware of the plight of the cows.
Life & Sufferings of a Cow
Some notable and irrefutable facts about the life of a typical cow:
- At the tender age of about 2 years, a cow is forcefully impregnated with bull-semen. This is worse than a rape.
- After delivery of the calf, he is not allowed to suckle his mother’s milk to which he has the birth-right.
- Milk is stolen from the mother cow’s udders either manually or using electric machines.
- Cows are served unnatural diet to force their bodies into producing higher quantities of milk.
- Cows are given hormonal injections like oxytocin to boost the milk production despite of its ban in India.
- Cows are captive throughout their life and serves as a slave to human for fulfilling his "need" of milk.
- Her male child is soon sold to middlemen or slaughterhouses to get rid of a “waste byproduct” and instead, earn some money out of it.
- Female calf is raised on insufficient mother’s milk and artificial supplements. As soon as she reached one & a half to two years of age, she is met by the same treatment as her mother – Artificial Insemination; and then condemned to the same cycle above.
- Once cow reaches about 5-7 years of age, she can’t get pregnant anymore. All dry cows are either abandoned or sold to slaughter houses.
- Abandoned cows become a traffic hazard on the roads, eat plastic and other inedible stuff because of insane hunger and die a slow and untimely death after a whole life of suffering or become a traffic victim.
- Cows don’t get to live their natural and social life. Strong bond between mother and her baby is dishonoured by separating both, soon after the birth of the calf.
- Bulls (if not slaughtered) also live a life full of suffering …but let’s keep it for another day. Today, we are talking about females!
Feminists are Ignorant when comparing themselves to cows
I’ve only described part of the sufferings, we humans, regularly inflict on cows …upon almost all of the cows. I think these are enough for feminists to know how much better a life of a typical woman is compared to a typical cow. If they think otherwise, I invite all feminists to describe their sufferings in comparison to the sufferings of a cow.
- Do you think this artist did the right thing to raise the voice of women?
- Can we use a woman’s mask to raise the plight of cows instead?
I’ll love to hear your views on this subject.
All images sourced from Instagram profile of Sujatro Ghosh
Humans can still speak and demand justice and resist crime.I agree with you @xyzashu. Animal cruelty and cruelty to humans is not in any way comparable at all.
But animals that only love and trust, cannot resist the crime or demand justice. They only suffer. Only suffer agony.
In my opinion, cruelty to animals is the biggest crime.
And there is no life that is more important or less important.
And crime cannot be undermined.
My son told me recently that humans are the only creatures that drink milk past their babyhood. And another creatures milk.
Cruelty to cows is twofold -
It is cruelty to babies (calves).
And cruelty to a life (cows).
Cruelty to cows and cruelty to women are two very different issues.
None undermines the other. Both demand justice on an equal platform.
I loved every single word of your reply here.
I'm glad to hear your son's stand. He is absolutely correct. How old is he?Humans never wean themselves off against the principles of Nature and think they are smarter than the Nature! No animal drinks milk of a different species except homo sapien. What more, humans process that milk into several forms like pasteurized toned milk, tea, coffee, cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, mawa, sweets, ice-creams etc. to increase its consumption by making it more palatable.
You rightly pointed out towards the cruelty against babies. In fact, almost all of the billions of animals being slaughtered every year, in animal farming industry are innocent babies.
I can enlist the third form of cruelty against cows as cruelty against females. Violation of reproductive system of females is the backbone of breeding industry. Animals are discriminated on the basis of their gender. Where are all feminists!
My son is 20 years :) . Here is a photo of me and my son.You speak correctly, @xyzashu. You raise your voice for a very good and correct cause.
I keep telling him about your posts. :)
WOW, an adorable photo! A very promising and smart young chap! Nice to see you both
thank you :)
I rescue animals. And I am a fervent feminist. I don't see a difference, or a competition, between these activities. I have stopped on a busy highway to rescue a stranded cat and I have pulled my car over to stop a man from hitting a woman. My response to each situation, emotionally and intellectually, was the same.
I understand the artist's exercise, but don't agree with it. Cruelty is wrong. If we see suffering--a cow's suffering, a woman's suffering--it should hurt us. The laws in India, and every country, should protect women and cows. And pigs. And children. And men.
I'm glad that this world has people like you who respect every sentient life irrespective of its species. Keep up the good work and keep spreading the love. This world needs more people like you.
Again U prove yourself on this topic sir,you are right as the matter concern,God bless you.
Thanks for your visit & feedback!
Have a good day!
No matter how close a domestic animal is, it remains an animal and can never be compared to a human being.
The love and care for animals shouldn't be more than that of humans.
Although this has to do with religion, yet value should be placed on humans and laws should protect us more especially women.
Why do you value a life of human more valuable than an animal? What makes you discriminate in your love towards animals and humans? When there is a question of survival, everyone will give highest priority to his/her own life. Everyone would hold to his/her life, come what may.
Laws should equally protect everyone. Why give lower priority to men and animals over women? You can't compare one life to be better than other. All lives are precious.
You got some point there @xyzashu safety of cow and women cant be compared. Reason been that cow is an animal the nature gave to us as source of meat and milk to satisfy our hunger in one way or the other and as such women should'nt be maltreated in respect of cows.
If anyone chooses to worship cow does that at his or her own choice.
Without Women the cow worshipper wouldnt have been born.
Cows cant give birth to human no matter how you protect it.
Cows cant sweep the house nor take care o kids,
Cow cant cook.
We are in the Era where Leaders tends to protect cows than human and i usually wonder what their benefit is.
Women should be more Protected because if u kill one cow today u can always have a replace, but if your love one died today because of lack of safety you cant find a replace.
I think you are still mixing up the issues. If an animal can't give birth to humans, it doesn't imply that he/she has no right to survival and protection. Nature didn't give humans cow as a source of meat and milk. It is the carnists who started exploiting & slaughtering animals for their own selfish interest. Whether it's an animal or a human, everyone has a right to a dignified life.
I can't take your argument that cows can be replaced and humans can't. What are you talking of!!! No individual can be replaced once he / she is dead. Every life is precious. Whom you love more is your individual prerogative. It doesn't make any other life less valuable on this planet. Don't be a speciesist!
Nice topic
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Hello @limabeing, @beanz and all feminists who are against comparing women with animals! I'd love to hear your view-point on this issue too.
Are you people totally against the comparison of any kind with the animals or you consider the rights of women to be more important than the right to survival & a dignified life of an animal?