A rare spot of shade under a tree, cow licking away it’s calf. The calf tries to get away but the mother is strong and determined. The duo shows ultra swag and blocks the narrow road to office. Nobody else seems to think it’s a problem. They walk around them , someone bows , someone throws them dried rotis and someone pats them. My car, honking and demanding the space under the shady spot, is the obvious eyesore and discomfort. I give up, parking some 200 metres away.
The calf has a tiny bell around it’s neck which tinkles away everytime he resists being cleaned. I can hear it from inside the office, through the afternoon. It is a welcome sound in sweltering heat. When I walk out at the end of the day, people tell me that Anandpur has two big gaushalas and one govt vet hospital. The village is blessed with the cows’ grace and never goes hungry.. even when there were successive crop failures twice. Even when the pond is drying, groundwater is receding and the water accessible right now is way too salty for the crops. They do what they can, and let it go.
They don’t think that the politicians, administration, banks can “save” them. They trust the SHGs. And the panchayat. And the gods. They have faith. And humility. And simplicity.
~Anandpur, Jaitaran.
Anhad/अनहद 