‘Moo’ing story

CHENNAI : On a sultry evening, we head to the famous 42-year-old Goshala in West Mambalam. Tucked away in the quaint, narrow Kasi Viswanathar Koil Street, the shelter is a safe haven for cattle and we were quite thrilled to witness it first hand. “Vange ma! come and buy some agathi keerai and bananas to feed the cows!” shouts Dharani, a fruit vendor who has her makeshift shop set-up in front of the Goshala. We buy `100 worth of agathi keerai (a type of spinach) bundles and bananas, and enter the shelter. 

An alluring concoction of the smell of dung and incense sticks penetrates the air and the sound of cattle mooing pierces through the otherwise quiet shelter, a wing of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. We enter the first compartment and begin feeding the cows. “You have to move clockwise and feed the cows. Also, make sure you distribute the food equally and not feed just one,” guides a fellow visitor. As we take a tour of the Goshala, we notice that most cows are aged. “About 60-70 per cent of cows here are old. Some of the cattle are also rescued from slaughter houses. Go Samrakshana is an age old concept and we follow the tradition till date,” says Vinayaghar V Murali, secretary of the Goshala, as he oversees the activities. 

Started in 1976, the Goshala in West Mambalam has become a model of sorts for other similar shelters in places like Periyapalayam, Thevandhavalkam and Mambakkam. “We care for these cattle and make sure their health is administered daily. We have about nine dedicated staff who take care of the cattle here. We have the weekly Goh Pooja, where an elaborate pooja is performed to worship these cows,” he beams.
The Goh Pooja is performed every Friday in worship of Goddess Kamadhenu. 

Geeta, a 64-year-old regular visitor says, “Goddess Lakshmi will bless one with abundance if they perform the pooja. I believe in it.” She feeds the cows along with her six-year-old granddaughter. “I have been coming here for the last 30 years. Now, my granddaughter is interested in it too,” she smiles.

What started as a Goshala with just a handful of cows now houses a total of 121 cattle and  is the perfect retiring/safe place for visually impaired, ageing cows and orphaned calves. “This is Shobana. She’s probably 20 years old. This breed of cattle is called the ‘Punganur Kuttai’ (dwarf),” says Ranjith, one of the caretakers at the shelter, pointing to the rare indigenous South Indian cattle. “We have named all our children here,” he says and shouts, ‘Aishu!’. A white cow moves towards us. Puneeta, another caretaker smiles, “They identify our voice. We have a close bond with all the cows here. I believe that if we serve them, our children will be taken care of. It’s good karma,” she asserts.

From waking the cows by 5 am, cleaning, feeding them to milking them, the workers do it all. “Our work is from 5 am to 6 pm. All of us enjoy doing it and in fact, we think we are all blessed. Goddess Lakshmi resides in these cows,” says Ranjith, as he sprays water on a cow. 

While temples are the greatest patrons of the Goshala, independent donors have also come forward in keeping the activities going at the shelter. “We don’t ask for money, food or water from anyone. The Mutt takes care of it. We have many donors and thankfully we have never had to struggle to feed the cows,” shares Vinayaghar.The Goshala gives away panjakavyam, vibuti, and milk to donors and visitors on specific days. “We take and benefit so much from what these cattle’s produce. We can only protect and take good care of them. That’s what we are doing,” he adds.