Kochi, 06 March(HS): Amidst daily reports of murders, mayhem, drug abuse and man-animal conflicts, people in Kerala experienced a soothing feeling as lover of desi Balakrishna Guru Swamy’s walkathon passed through the State on Wednesday.
The walkathon, which commenced at Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir on 27th September 2024, entered the Ernakulam district on Wednesday and would culminate at Kanyakumari on 27th March 2025.
The mission of this march titled Gauraksha Mahapadayatra ( walkathon to save native Indian cows) is an attempt by rural farmers of the country to make lawmakers enact a legislation declaring the native cow as the national animal and also to create an awareness among the people about the utility of native breeds, said Bala Krishna Guru Swamy to HS during a brief stop over at Lord Ayyappa Temple in Perumbavoor.
Swamy is worried that the native breeds reach the dining tables as people are ignorant about the positive side of this domesticated animals. “We have found out that there were no ailments like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, or obesity when people consumed milk and other dairy products from native breeds. It was only after the introduction of imported cows and cross breeding that India has become a hub of all kinds of medical issues,” said the swamy who is accompanied in this walkathon by Ridhi, a Punganur breed calf.
“You should say that I am accompanying Ridhi on this journey, Besides our demand that the desi cow be made the national animal, we spread the message that these breeds can play a major role in sustainable farming operations as well as promoting panchagavya therapy,” he said.
Panchagavya is a traditional therapy that originated from the Indian system of science. “There is Panchagavya Vidyapeeth, a gurukula university in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram where hundreds of youth undergo training in pancha gavya therapy. It is made out of the milk, urine, cowdung collected from native breeds and have proved their efficacy as medicine, micro nutrient and agriculture operations,” said the swamy whose next port of call is Sabarimala, the holy shrine atop the Western Ghats in Kerala before the conclusion of the Mahapadayatra at Kanyakumari, the land’s end.
He also disclosed that more than 7000 youths are propagating Pancha Gavya Therapy across India. The fact that Pancha Gavya Vidyapeeth is headed by Kamal Taori, a former IAS officer who retired as secretary to the Government of India.
Tuesday marked the 160th day of the yatra as Swamy and his entourage completed 4500 km of the 4900 km distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Three-year-old, two-feet-tall Ridhi turned out to be the superstar of the show.
Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti
