(CNN) For centuries, cows have been considered sacred by India’s largely Hindu population, a symbol of the Earth and the divine.
In fact, the animals are so respected that the authorities plan to rename this Valentine’s Day “Cow Hugging Day”, hoping that the move will improve the “emotional richness” of the citizens and harm the local heritage in what is seen as western culture. import.
But the move seems to have backfired after it prompted a flood of internet memes, cartoons and jokes by TV hosts about the importance of consent.
The declaration of February 14 as “Cow Hug Day,” came in a statement Monday from the Animal Welfare Board of India, which called cows the “backbone of India’s culture and rural economy.”
The cow is the “provider of all, the giver of wealth to mankind” because of its “nutrition,” said the agency, a statutory body that advises India’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
It says the cow-hugging drive is part of an effort to promote “Vedic” or sacred Hindu traditions, which it claims have been corrupted by Western influence.
“Vedic traditions are on the verge of extinction due to the development of (western) culture over time,” the statement said. “The glare of western civilization has made our physical culture and heritage almost forgotten.”
But within a week of the announcement — after days of teasing and teasing online — the idea seemed to fizzle out.
For days, media outlets mocked the government’s plan, publishing satirical cartoons showing cows running away from amorous men, while internet users delighted in posting video of a violent encounter between an animal and a human.
An anchor of one of India’s leading English-language news channels, NDTV, was even filmed trying to hug several cows, seemingly rebuking his advances.
“Consent is important,” he joked during the segment.
‘cow science’
This is not the first time the government has caused a stir over its policies on cows — killing or eating them is considered a sin by many Hindus, who make up about 80% of India’s 1.3 billion people.
The sale and slaughter of animals is banned in most of the country and the animals are often left to roam freely on the streets and roads that seem to be loose, where motorists have to be careful not to hit them.
An agency for the protection of cattle, known as the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), was established in 2019 by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Hindu devotees offer prayers to a cow during the Gopal Ashtami festival, in Amritsar, Punjab, on November 11, 2021.
Two years later, the RKA was forced to postpone a national exam on “cow science” after the curriculum prompted widespread criticism of unscientific claims about the animal.
Among many unproven claims, the 54-page study guide for the examination says that large-scale abattoir activity leads to large earthquakes, suggesting that the pain emitted by mass slaughter may generate enough stress to cause a seismic reaction.
Without providing evidence, it also claims that indigenous (Indian) cows produce the best quality milk, compared to “exotic cows.”
A political beast
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to power in 2014 on a wave of Hindu-nationalism, the animal has also become increasingly politicized.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strongly aligned with conservative Hindu traditions and critics say cow worship is used as a tool to intimidate, harass and even kill Muslims, who they accused in some cases of disrespecting animals.
According to Human Rights Watch, cow vigilante crimes in India have been ignored or covered up by the authorities since Modi took office.
During Modi’s 2014 election campaign, he promised to end a “pink revolution” – a phrase he used to describe the slaughter of cows.
Some BJP legislators have taken it a step further.
“I promise that I will break the hands and legs of those who do not consider cows as their mother and kill them,” said Vikram Saini, a lawmaker in the state of Uttar Pradesh, at an event in March 2017 .
The statements led to an outcry in the country where violence against women and minorities regularly makes headlines. Critics say there is a double standard within the government, and argue that the BJP is not doing enough to protect vulnerable groups.
In 2017, a photo series from photographer and activist Sujatro Ghosh depicting Indian women wearing cow masks went viral on social media. The series of pictures is meant to depict a society where cows are valued more than women.
Speaking to reporters about “Hug a Cow Day” on Thursday – before it was canceled – BJP lawmaker Giriraj Singh said “a very good decision has been taken” by the government.
“Cows need to be hugged,” he said. “We must love and embrace the cow.”
