Allahabad: Cow urine soaps, oils fly off Magh Mela shelves

ALLAHABAD: The VHP camp on Triveni Marg is a crowd magnet this Magh Mela, courtesy products made of cow urine and dung.
From soaps and toothpastes to room fresheners and incense sticks to eye drops and pain-relieving oils — a host of commodities manufactured by a gaushala in Bithoor, Kanpur, are up for grabs in Sector I of the annual fair.
Abhishek Bajpayee, manager of the VHP-run cow shelter, told TOI that this was the first time these products were on display at Magh Mela, even though they had earned rave reviews at the the 2007 Ardh Kumbh and 2013 and 2019 Kumbh fairs.
"Our products range from organic fertilisers and home cleaners to eye drops and painkillers. People who believe in the medicinal properties of cow urine and dung are visiting our stall in droves. The products are already available at all RSS/VHP camps across the country. We are also in the process of registering with online shopping sites,” he said.
According to Bajpayee, their stocks include medicines for indigestion, arthritis, cataract, diabetes and lung infection, among others. “All our products have organic value. The eyecare products can help improve vision. Apart from cow urine, dung is also used for making soaps, face packs and incense sticks,” he said, reiterating that the debut stall at Magh Mela was a big hit.
Volunteers of RSS, VHP and other Hindu frontal organisations have been promoting products that have cow urine as a key ingredient across the country and Bajpayee maintained that there had never been any negative response.